Synchronized vibration device for haptic feedback

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to synchronized vibration devices that can provide haptic feedback to a user. A wide variety of actuator types may be employed to provide synchronized vibration, including linear actuators, rotary actuators, rotating eccentric mass actuators, and rocking mass actuators. A controller may send signals to one or more driver circuits for directing operation of the actuators. The controller may provide direction and amplitude control, vibration control, and frequency control to direct the haptic experience. Parameters such as frequency, phase, amplitude, duration, and direction can be programmed or input as different patterns suitable for use in gaming, virtual reality and real-world situations.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.11/476,436, filed Jun. 27, 2006 and entitled SYNCHRONIZED VIBRATIONDEVICE FOR HAPTIC FEEDBACK, which claims the benefit of the filing dateof U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/694,468 filed Jun. 27,2005 and entitled SYNCHRONIZED VIBRATION DEVICE FOR HAPTIC FEEDBACK, theentire disclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated byreference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is generally related to vibration devices. Applicationsinclude devices such as those that produce haptic sensations to enhancethe realism of a video game, vibratory parts feeders, and vibrationshakers.

Actuators that provide force feedback and haptic sensations are used fora wide range of applications including gaming devices, medicalsimulators, and flight simulators. Actuators in haptic devices createforce sensations which are felt by the user.

One method for generating a haptic sensation is to use vibratoryactuators such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,275,213 and6,424,333. Vibratory actuators provide a low cost method for generatingforce sensations, and multiple vibratory actuators can used to generatea range of sensations. In many existing devices vibrations are generatedthrough rotary motors with an eccentric mass.

A limitation of eccentric mass rotary vibrators is that under continuousvibration the force of vibration is coupled to the magnitude ofvibration, and thus it is not possible to modify the magnitude ofvibration for a given vibration frequency. Another limitation ofexisting vibration devices is that the direction of vibration force isset by the orientation of the vibration actuators, and cannot bemodified during operation.

In existing devices there is minimal or no directional information isprovided to the user, and the force sensations are limited to thefrequency of vibration of the actuators. In existing vibration deviceswith multiple vibration actuators, there is typically no synchronizationof the vibration waveforms of the various actuators, and the phasedifference between the different vibrations is not explicitly specifiedor controlled. This lack of synchronization limits the types of forceeffects that existing vibration devices can generate.

One application of vibration devices is in haptic input devices such asgame controllers. Haptic devices use force to convey information to theuser. In computer games and other applications it is desirable to conveya wide range of information to the user through force includingfrequency, magnitude, and direction of force. Since existing vibrationdevices do not convey all such information, there is a need to provideincreased range of force sensations using vibratory actuators.

Existing tactile vibration devices often use small motors. These motorsexert a low magnitude of force, and often require a number of vibrationcycles before they build up sufficient force magnitude to be felt. Thus,many existing vibration devices provide tactile sensations that can onlybe felt at high frequency vibrations, where vibration energy can bebuilt up over time. However, it may be desirable to also generate lowfrequency sensations to correspond to events that occur at a lowerfrequency than the vibration frequency. Thus there is a need to generatelow frequency force sensations will small actuators.

SUMMARY OF TEE INVENTION

The present invention provides a wide variety of vibration devices,haptic interfaces, game controllers and vibratory control systems.

One example of a vibration device of the present invention comprises ofa plurality of vibration actuators that are synchronously vibrated. Theactuators may be linear motion vibration actuators. In one alternative,the linear motion vibration actuators each include a moving magnet and astationary electromagnetic coil. In another alternative, the linearmotion vibration actuators each include a moving ferromagnetic plungerand a stationary electromagnetic coil. In a further alternative, thelinear motion vibration actuators each include a moving electromagnetand a stationary permanent magnet.

In another example, a vibration device comprising a plurality of linearmotion vibration actuators is operated by vibrating the actuators withsimilar frequency and phase. The amplitude of vibration of the actuatorsis controlled to achieve a desired direction of overall vibration force.For instance, the actuators may be vibrated with similar frequency andphase such that the maximum amplitude of vibration force occurssimultaneously in the linear motion vibration actuators.

In a further example, the vibration device comprises two linear motionvibration actuators such that the unit vectors are aligned with thedirection of force created by the actuators to span a two dimensionalspace. Alternatively, the unit vectors need not be aligned with thedirection of force created by the actuators and need not be parallel toeach other.

In another example, a vibration device is comprised of three linearmotion vibration actuators in which the unit vectors are aligned withthe direction of force created by the actuators span a three dimensionalspace. A controller may be provided to synchronously vibrate theseactuators.

A vibration device of another example comprises at least two linearmotion vibration actuators where the unit vectors aligned with thedirection of force created by the actuators span a two dimensionalspace. Alternatively, the unit vectors aligned with the direction offorce created by the actuators may span a three dimensional space.

A vibration device comprising a plurality of vibration actuators may beconfigured so that the actuators are vibrated with similar frequency andphase such that the maximum amplitude of vibration force occurssimultaneously in the vibration actuators.

In another example, a vibration device comprises a plurality ofvibration actuators attached to an enclosure of the vibration device andare synchronously vibrated. The actuators may be attached to a rigidcomponent, a relatively rigid component, or a semi-rigid component ofthe vibration device.

A haptic interface of another example comprises a plurality of linearmotion vibration actuators that are vibrated with similar frequency andphase. The amplitude of vibration of the actuators is preferablycontrolled to achieve a desired direction of overall vibration force. Inone instance, the actuators each comprise of a moving magnet and astationary electromagnet which applies forces onto the moving magnet.

A computer system may be provided according to the present inventionwhich includes a graphical display and a haptic interface. The hapticinterface may comprise a plurality of linear motion vibration actuatorswhich are vibrated with similar frequency and phase. The amplitude ofvibration of these actuators is controlled to achieve a direction ofoverall vibration force which corresponds to the direction of an eventwhich is displayed on the computer system's graphical display. Thehaptic interface may comprise a pair of linear motion vibrationactuators that are located in the handles of a hand held controller. Theactuators can be vibrated with similar frequency and phase. Theamplitude of vibration of these actuators is controlled to achieve adirection of overall vibration force which corresponds to the directionof an event which is displayed on the computer system's graphicaldisplay.

In another example, a vibration device comprises a plurality of rotaryvibration actuators that are synchronously vibrated. A pair of rotaryvibration actuators with eccentric weights may be employed. Here, one ofthe pair of actuators can be rotated clockwise and the other can berotated counterclockwise in the same plane. The shaft angles at whichthe centrifugal force generated by the eccentric weights is preferablyaligned for both actuators, and is desirably repeated for multiplerevolutions. One or both of the actuators may be stepper motors. In onecase, the centrifugal force generated by the eccentric weights isaligned to corresponds to a direction of an event within a computersimulation.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a vibrationdevice is provided, which comprises a base member and a plurality ofactuators coupled to the base member. The plurality of actuatorsincludes a first actuator and a second actuator. The first actuator hasa first member and a second member. The first member is operativelycoupled to a first portion of the base member. The second member ismoveable relative to the first member of the first actuator. The secondactuator also has a first member and a second member. The first memberis operatively coupled to a second portion of the base member. Thesecond member is moveable relative to the first member of the secondactuator. The vibration device also comprises means for synchronouslyvibrating at least the first and second ones of the plurality ofactuators.

In one alternative, at least one of the first and second actuatorspreferably comprises a linear motion vibration actuator. In an example,the first member of the linear motion vibration actuator desirablyincludes a permanent magnet, the second member of the linear motionvibration actuator desirably includes an electromagnet, and thesynchronously vibrating means is operable to modulate a magnetic forcebetween the electromagnet and the permanent magnet. In anotheralternative, the first member of the linear motion vibration actuatordesirably includes an electromagnet, the second member of the linearmotion vibration actuator desirably includes a permanent magnet, and thesynchronously vibrating means is operable to modulate a magnetic forcebetween the electromagnet and the permanent magnet.

In another alternative, the vibration device further comprises a springdevice coupled to the second member of the linear motion vibrationactuator for providing a restoring force thereto. In a furtheralternative, the synchronously vibrating means operates the first andsecond actuators at a substantially identical phase and a substantiallyidentical frequency. In yet another alternative, the synchronouslyvibrating means controls operation of the first and second actuators tovary at least one of an amplitude of a combined vibration force of thefirst and second actuators and a direction of the combined vibrationforce. In a further alternative, the second actuator may be orientednon-orthogonally relative to the first actuator.

In another alternative, the plurality of actuators further includes athird actuator having a first member and a second member. Here, thefirst member of the third actuator is coupled to a third portion of thebase member, and the second member thereof is moveable relative to thefirst member of the third actuator. The first, second and thirdactuators are oriented such that the vibration device is operable togenerate a three dimensional combined vibration force.

In a further alternative, at least one of the first and second actuatorscomprises a rotary actuator. In one example, the rotary actuatorincludes a pivoting mass. In this case the vibration device preferablyfurther comprising a spring device coupled to the pivoting mass and tothe base member. Here, the synchronously vibrating means is operable tocontrol the vibration device at a resonant frequency of the pivotingmass and the spring device. The spring device may be coupled to thepivoting mass such that a nonlinear spring force is generated.

In another alternative, the vibration device further comprises a pair ofspring devices. Here, at least one of the first and second actuatorscomprises a rocking actuator having a rocking mass pivotally coupled atone end thereof to the base member by the pair of spring devices.

In a further alternative, at least the first and second actuators of theplurality of actuators are synchronously vibrated for a first durationof time and are vibrated asynchronously for a second duration of time.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, avibratory control system is provided. The vibratory control systemcomprises a plurality of actuators coupled to a base, a plurality ofdrivers and a controller. The plurality of actuators includes first andsecond actuators. The first actuator has a first member and a secondmember moveable relative to the first member thereof. The first memberof the first actuator is operatively coupled to a first portion of thebase. The second actuator has a first member and a second membermoveable relative to the first member thereof. The first member of thesecond actuator is operatively coupled to a second portion of the base.Each of the plurality of drivers is operatively coupled to one of theplurality of actuators. The controller is coupled to the plurality ofdrivers and operable to provide amplitude, phase and frequencyinformation to the plurality of drivers to synchronously vibrate atleast the first and second ones of the plurality of actuators.

In one alternative, at least one of the frequency and phase informationprovided to the first actuator is substantially identical to thefrequency and phase information provided to the second actuator. Inanother alternative, the controller includes a direction and amplitudecontroller operable to specify a combined vibration amplitude and adirection of vibration, a frequency controller operable to specify avibration frequency, and a vibration controller operable to control thecombined vibration amplitude, the direction of vibration and thevibration frequency to synchronously vibrate at least the first andsecond ones of the plurality of actuators.

In a further alternative, the system further comprises a hapticinterface operable to provide a force sensation to the user. In thiscase, the haptic interface desirably includes the plurality of actuatorsand the plurality of drivers, and further includes an input device forreceiving the input from the user. Optionally, the system furtherincludes a display device operatively connected to the controller forproviding a visual display to the user.

In accordance with other aspects of the present invention a gamecontroller is provided, which comprises a housing, at least one inputdevice disposed in the housing for receiving input from a user, andfirst and second actuators. The first actuator is disposed in thehousing and has a fixed member coupled to the housing and a moveablemember operatively engaged with the fixed member and moveable relativethereto. The second actuator is disposed in the housing and has a fixedmember coupled to the housing and a moveable member operatively engagedwith the fixed member and moveable relative thereto. The first andsecond actuators are operable to synchronously vibrate such that ahaptic sensation is provided to the user.

In one example, the second actuator is oriented such that a vibrationforce of the second actuator is not parallel to a vibration force of thefirst actuator. In another example, the second actuator is positionedover the first actuator to minimize torque during synchronizedvibration. In a further example, the first and second actuators generatea torque during synchronized vibration.

In one alternative, at least one of the first and second actuators ispreferably a pivoting actuator or a linear actuator operable to generatefrequencies below 50 Hertz. In another alternative, the first and secondactuators preferably each comprise a rotary actuator, and an axis of arotating shaft of the first actuator is aligned with an axis of arotating shaft of the second actuator.

In accordance with further aspects of the present invention, a vibrationdevice comprises a base member and first and second actuators. The firstactuator is operatively attached to the base member. The first actuatoris operable to generate a first vibration force having a first frequencyof vibration and a first magnitude of vibration associated therewith.The first actuator is further operable to impart the first vibrationforce to the base member. The second actuator is operatively attached tothe base member. The second actuator is operable to generate a secondvibration force having a second frequency of vibration and a secondmagnitude of vibration associated therewith. The second actuator isfurther operable to impart the second vibration force to the basemember. The vibration device also comprises a means for controlling thefirst and second actuators so that the first frequency of vibration issubstantially identical to the second frequency of vibration, and ameans for independently modulating the magnitudes of the first andsecond vibration forces to control a direction of a combined vibrationforce applied onto the base member. The combined vibration force is avector sum of the first and second vibration forces. The vibrationdevice further comprises means for controlling timing of vibrations ofthe first and second actuators so that peaks of the magnitudes of thefirst and second vibration forces occur substantially concurrently.

In one alternative, each of the actuators comprises a first memberoperatively coupled to the base member and a second member movablerelative to the corresponding first member. In another alternative, thefirst and second actuators are controlled to vibrate in-phase. In afurther alternative, the first frequency of vibration is a primaryfrequency of the first actuator and the second frequency of vibration isa primary frequency of the second actuator.

In another alternative, an electromagnetic force is generated betweenthe first and second members in both of the first and second actuators.In this case, the first member of each actuator desirably includes apermanent magnet and the second member of each actuator desirablyincludes an electromagnet.

In a further alternative, the first and second actuators each furthercomprise a spring device that generates force between the first andsecond members of the respective actuator. In one example, both thefirst actuator and the second actuator are preferably operated atsubstantially a natural frequency of the respective actuator. In anotherexample, both of the actuators are operated over a range of frequenciesof the respective actuator. In this case, the range of frequenciesincludes a natural frequency of the respective actuator.

In another alternative, the direction of the combined vibration forcecorresponds to a direction of an event in a computer simulation. In thiscase, a change in the direction of the combined vibration force maycorrespond to a change in the direction of a simulated motion in thecomputer simulation.

In a further alternative, the direction of the combined vibration forceapplied onto the base member is controlled to vary over time.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, avibration device is provided. The vibration device comprises a basemember, a first actuator operatively attached to the base member andhaving a member moveable relative to the base, and a second actuatoroperatively attached to the base member and having a member moveablerelative to the base. The first actuator is operable to apply a firstforce onto the base member and the second actuator is operable to applya second force onto the base member. The vibration device furthercomprises means for controlling timing of the first and second actuatorssuch that the moveable member of each of the first and second actuatorsrepeatedly reverses direction of motion relative to the base member atsubstantially the same time.

In one alternative, the vibration device further comprises means forindependently modulating magnitudes of the first and second forces tocontrol a direction of a combined force applied onto the base member.The combined force is a vector sum of the first and second forces.

In another alternative, the vibration device further comprises means forindependently modulating the magnitudes of the first and second forcesto control a magnitude of a combined force applied onto the base member.The combined force is a vector sum of the first and second forces. Here,the means for independently modulating is preferably further operable tocontrol a direction of the combined force applied onto the base member.

In another alternative, the means for controlling the timing of thefirst and second actuators is further operable to repeatedly reverse adirection of translation of the movable member of each actuator relativeto the base member at substantially the same time.

In another alternative, the means for controlling the timing of thefirst and second actuators is further operable to repeatedly reverse adirection of rotation of the movable member of each actuator relative tothe base member at substantially the same time.

In yet another alternative, the means for controlling adjusts the timingof the first and second actuators such that the movable member of thefirst actuator reverses direction of motion relative to the base memberat every occurrence that the movable member of the second actuatorreverses direction of motion relative to the base member. The reversalsof the direction of motion corresponding to the first and secondactuators occur at substantially the same time.

In a further alternative, for a first duration of vibration the meansfor controlling the timing of the first and second actuators is operableto cause the movable member of the first actuator to reverse directionof motion relative to the base member for every occurrence that themovable member of the second actuator reverses direction of motionrelative to the base member. Here, the reversals of motion occur atsubstantially the same time. For a second duration of vibration themeans for controlling the timing of the first and second actuators isoperable to cause the movable member of the first actuator to notreverse direction of motion relative to the base member for everyoccurrence that the movable member of the second actuator reversesdirection of motion relative to the base member. Here, the reversals ofmotion do not occur at substantially the same time.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, amethod of controlling a vibratory device is provided. The methodcomprises imparting a first vibration force to a base with a firstactuator, imparting a second vibration force to the base with a secondactuator, and synchronously vibrating the first and second actuators toimpart a combined vibration force to the base by applying amplitudeinformation, phase information and frequency information to the firstand second actuators.

In one alternative, the frequency information applied to the secondactuator is substantially identical to the frequency information appliedto the first actuator, and the phase information applied to the secondactuator is substantially identical to the phase information applied tothe first actuator.

In another alternative, the method further comprises specifying acombined vibration amplitude and a direction of vibration, specifying afrequency of vibration, and controlling the combined vibrationamplitude, the direction of vibration and the frequency of vibration tosynchronously vibrate the first and second actuators.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, amethod for operating a vibration device comprises (a) providing a firstactuator operable to generate a first vibration force having a firstfrequency of vibration and a first magnitude of vibration associatedtherewith, the first actuator being further operable to impart the firstvibration force to a base member; (b) providing a second actuatoroperable to generate a second vibration force having a second frequencyof vibration and a second magnitude of vibration associated therewith,the second actuator being further operable to impart the secondvibration force to the base member; (c) controlling the first and secondactuators so that the first frequency of vibration is substantiallyidentical to the second frequency of vibration; (d) independentlymodulating the magnitudes of the first and second vibration forces tocontrol a direction of a combined vibration force applied onto the basemember, wherein the combined vibration force is a vector sum of thefirst and second vibration forces; and (e) controlling timing ofvibrations of the first and second actuators so that peaks of themagnitudes of the first and second vibration forces occur substantiallyconcurrently.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodof controlling a vibration device comprises: (a) providing a firstactuator having a member moveable relative to a base, the first actuatorbeing operable to apply a first force onto the base member; (b)providing a second actuator having a member moveable relative to thebase, the second actuator being operable to apply a second force ontothe base member; and (c) controlling timing of the first and secondactuators such that the moveable member of each of the first and secondactuators repeatedly reverses direction of motion relative to the basemember at substantially the same time.

In one alternative, the method further comprises independentlymodulating magnitudes of the first and second forces to control adirection of a combined force applied onto the base member. The combinedforce is a vector sum of the first and second forces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a chart illustrating a number of different waveform typessuitable for use with the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a pair of vibration profiles having a phasedifference.

FIG. 3 illustrates a pair of in-phase vibration profiles.

FIG. 4 illustrates a linear motion vibration actuator for use with thepresent invention.

FIGS. 5A-B illustrate an example of a linear motion vibration actuatorin accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 6A-B illustrate another example of a linear motion vibrationactuator in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 7A-B illustrate a further example of a linear motion vibrationactuator in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 8A-B illustrate yet another example of a linear motion vibrationactuator in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a further example of a linear motion vibrationactuator in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a vibration device in accordance with aspects of thepresent invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates the vibration device of FIG. 10 for generating acounterclockwise rotation in accordance with aspects of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 illustrates the vibration device of FIG. 10 for generating aclockwise rotation in accordance with aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates the vibration device of FIG. 10 for generating achange in the direction of force in accordance with aspects of thepresent invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates a vibration device employing non-orthogonal linearactuators in accordance with aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates a vibration device employing a set of linearactuators for generation of a three dimensional force vector inaccordance with aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates a game controller in accordance with aspects of thepresent invention.

FIG. 17 illustrates a vibration device in accordance with aspects of thepresent invention.

FIG. 18 illustrates another vibration device in accordance with aspectsof the present invention.

FIG. 19 illustrates a vibration device for generating a combined torquein accordance with aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 20 illustrates another vibration device for generating a combinedtorque in accordance with aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 21 illustrates a rotary vibration actuator with eccentric mass inaccordance with aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 22 illustrates a vibration device with a pair of eccentric massactuators in accordance with aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 23 illustrates synchronous vibration of eccentric mass actuators inaccordance with aspects of the present invention.

FIGS. 24A-C illustrate a pivoting actuator in accordance with aspects ofthe present invention.

FIGS. 25A-C illustrate another pivoting actuator in accordance withaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 26 illustrates a pivoting actuator utilizing a pair of springdevices in accordance with aspects of the present invention.

FIGS. 27A-F illustrate a further pivoting actuator in accordance withaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 28 illustrates a synchronized vibration system employing rotaryactuators in accordance with aspects of the present invention.

FIGS. 29A-B illustrate game controllers in accordance with aspects ofthe present invention.

FIG. 30 illustrates a rocking actuator in accordance with aspects of thepresent invention.

FIG. 31 illustrates a vibration system in accordance with aspects of thepresent invention.

FIG. 32 illustrates control of a vibration system in accordance withaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 33 illustrates control of a vibration system in accordance withaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 34 illustrates control of a vibration system in accordance withaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 35 illustrates a vibration system in accordance with aspects of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 36A-B illustrate equation parameter and pattern selectionprocessing in accordance with aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 37 illustrates a haptic interface system in accordance with aspectsof the present invention.

FIG. 38 illustrates another haptic interface system in accordance withaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 39 illustrates control of vibration profiles in accordance withaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 40 illustrates a vibration actuator in accordance with aspects ofthe present invention.

FIG. 41 illustrates another vibration actuator in accordance withaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 42 illustrates a vibration device controller in accordance withaspects of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing aspects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill be further appreciated when considered with reference to thefollowing description of preferred embodiments and accompanyingdrawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like elements.

As used herein, an actuator is a device that can generate mechanicalmotion and force. Actuators can convert a source of energy intomechanical motion or force. The source of energy can be electrical,pneumatic, hydraulic, or another source. Examples of actuators includerotary and linear motors. Examples of electric actuators include DC, AC,and stepper motors.

A vibration (or vibratory) actuator can impart repeated forces onto anobject. These repeated forces can repeat a similar force profile overtime during each repetition. Examples include rotary motors witheccentric masses, and linear actuators which move masses back and forth.These actuators can be DC, AC, stepper, or other types of actuators. Avibration actuator can repeat a similar force profile (waveform) in eachcycle, or there can be variations in force profiles between cycles.Variations between cycles can be in amplitude, frequency, phase, andprofile shape.

When a force is generated in a repeated cycle it can generate avibratory force. The profile (also referred to as a waveform) of arepeated force cycle can be in a sinusoidal shape, triangular wave, asquare wave, or other repeated profile as shown in FIG. 1. The frequencyof vibration describes how frequently a vibration cycle is repeated. Afrequency of vibration, f, is defined as the number of vibrations perunit time, and often is given in Hertz whose units are cycles persecond. The period of vibration, T, is the duration of each cycle inunits of time. The mathematical relationship between frequency andperiod of vibration is given by the following equation:f=1/T  (1)

A vibration force, F, is in a repeated cycle whenF(t+T)=F(t)  (2)where T is the period of vibration and t is time.

For purposes of vibration devices it is sufficient for the period ofvibration to be approximate, and therefore a vibration is considered tobe in a repeated cycle when:F(t+T)≈F(t)  (3)

One vibration waveform is a sinusoidal waveform, where the vibrationforce can be given by:F(t)=A sin(ωt+φ)  (4)

Here, F(t) is force as a function of time. A is the maximum amplitude offorce. ω is the frequency of vibration in radians per second (thefrequency in Hertz is f=ω/(2π)). And φ is the phase of vibration inradians. When ωt=2π the force profile repeats itself.

A vibration actuator may impart repeated forces onto an object. Due tothe dynamics of an actuator, a single actuator can impart forces atmultiple frequencies at the same time. However, for the purposes ofanalyzing vibrations and describing vibration devices herein, theprimary frequency of an actuator's motion means the frequency having thelargest component of kinetic energy in it.

The period of vibration can be defined by the time elapsed between thebeginning of one vibration cycle and beginning of the next cycle. Thusto identify the period of vibration it is useful to identify thebeginning of a cycle. One method for defining the beginning of cycle isto define the beginning of the cycle as the point with maximum amplitudein the profile. FIG. 1 is an amplitude versus time chart 10 showing thevibration profiles of a sine wave 12, a triangle wave 14, an arbitrarilyshaped profile 16, and a square wave 18. The period for each of theseprofiles is designated by T.

The sine wave 12, triangle wave 14, and arbitrary profile wave 16 allhave a unique point of maximum amplitude during each repeated cycle, andthis point of maximum amplitude is used to define the beginning of thecycle. The square wave 18 does not have a unique point of maximumamplitude within a cycle; in such cases a repeated point on the profilecan be selected to designate the beginning of the cycle. In FIG. 1, thepoint at which the square wave 18 transitions from a low value to a highvalue is designated at the beginning point of the cycle, and used use todefine the period of the repeated profile. Thus, any profile that can berepresented as repeated cycles can represent a vibration.

A frequency of vibration can also be identified when the shape of signaldoes not consist of exactly repeated profiles. Variations in amplitudeof the cycle and small changes in the shape of a cycles profile stillallow one to identify a unique point that designates the beginning ofthe cycle. As long as a repeated point in the profile can be identified,then the beginning of each cycle, a vibration period, and vibrationfrequency can be determined.

The phase of vibration defines the timing of the beginning of a cycle ofvibration. A phase difference between two vibration waveforms is definedas the difference between the beginning of a vibration cycle in onewaveform and the beginning of a vibration cycle in the other waveform.If there is a nonzero difference in the phase of vibration between twoprofiles, then the beginning of the cycles do not coincide in time. FIG.2 is an amplitude versus time chart 20 showing two vibration profiles,22 and 24, with a phase difference Δ between them. The phase differenceΔ can be given in units of time, such as shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively,the phase of vibration can also be given in radians for sinusoidalvibrations. When the phase difference Δ between two waveforms is zero,then the two waveforms are considered to be in-phase, as shown in theamplitude versus time chart 30 of FIG. 3.

As long as it is possible to identify the beginning of a cycle it ispossible to identify a phase of vibration, even when the amplitude andfrequency of vibration change between cycles of vibration.

Synchronized vibration is defined as a vibration force formed by thesuperposition of two or more vibration waveforms where each of thewaveforms include peaks that coincide in time with the peaks of theother waveforms on a regularly repeating basis. In a preferredembodiment, each of the waveforms would have the same frequency and aspecified phase difference between them. Superposition can preferably bethe vector sum of forces, torque, or forces and torque. Typically, thesources of these vibration waveforms are different vibration actuators.Often in synchronous vibration the waveforms have a zero phasedifference between them, and thus the vibration waveforms are in-phaseand in synchronous vibration. As used herein, specified phase differencemay range between and including 0° and 360°. In preferred embodiments,the specified phase difference is 0° or 180°. In synchronized vibration,the various vibration waveforms can have different amplitudes. FIG. 3illustrates two vibration waveforms of triangular profile that aresynchronized. Both of these waveforms have the same frequency, they havedifferent amplitudes, and the waveforms are in-phase. The maximumamplitude of both waveforms in FIG. 3 occurs at the same time.

Typically, synchronized vibration profiles will have similar shapedprofiles. However, vibration actuators with different shaped vibrationprofiles can also be vibrated synchronously by matching frequency ofvibration and specifying the phase difference between the waveforms. Thematching of phase and frequency of vibration can be done approximatelyand still result in synchronized vibration.

Synchronized vibration can be generated by adding two vibration profilestogether, where the amplitude of the second vibration profile is amultiple of the amplitude of the first vibration profile. Thismultiplying factor can be either positive or negative.

If there are two or more vibrating actuators where the peak amplitude offorce of each vibrating actuator occurs repeatedly at approximately thesame time, then these actuators are in-phase and in synchronousvibration. The peak amplitude of force can be either in the positive ornegative direction of the vibration actuators' or vibration device'scoordinate system. Thus if a positive peak amplitude from one actuatoroccurs at approximately the same time as the negative peak amplitude ofanother actuator, then these actuators are in-phase and are insynchronous vibration.

An exemplary linear motion vibration actuator 100 is shown in FIG. 4. Asshown, the linear motion vibration actuator 100 contains a moving mass102 and a base 104. The moving mass 102 moves relative to the base 104in a back and forth linear motion. Force can be applied from the base104 to the moving mass 102 and in a similar fashion from the moving mass102 onto the base 104. The force transfer can occur, for instance, viamagnetic forces, spring forces, and/or lead screw forces. Examples oflinear actuators suitable for use in accordance with the presentinvention are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,136,194 and 6,236,125, andin U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/325,036, entitled “VibrationDevice,” the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated byreference herein.

As the moving mass 102 in the linear motion vibration actuator 100 movesback and forth, forces are generated between the moving mass 102 and thebase 104. These forces can be transmitted through the base 104 of theactuator 100 to an object that the actuator is mounted to (not shown).The moving mass 102 may also be attached to an object, such as a handle(not shown), that is external to the actuator 100, and may transmitforces directly to an object external to the actuator 100.

The forces in the linear motion vibration actuator 100 may be magneticforces, such as with a voice coil. The moving mass 102 may contain, forinstance, a permanent magnet, electromagnet, ferromagnetic material, orany combination of these. The base 104 may contain, for instance, apermanent magnet, an electromagnet, ferromagnetic material, or anycombination of these. Magnetic forces may be generated between base 104and the moving magnet that generate acceleration and motion of themoving mass 104. A force in the linear motion vibration actuator 100generated with an electromagnet can be modulated by controlling thecurrent flowing through the electromagnet.

One embodiment of linear motion vibration actuator 100 in accordancewith the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5A-B as linear motionvibration actuator 110. Actuator 110 preferably contains a moving mass112 that comprises an electromagnet, as well as a permanent magnet 116attached to the base 114. The motion of the moving mass 112 is along thex axis as shown in the side view in FIG. 5A. The magnetization polarityof the permanent magnet 116 is along the x axis as shown by the Northand South poles on the permanent magnet 116. The electromagnet ispreferably configured as a coil wound about the x axis. As shown in theend view of FIG. 5B, in the present embodiment the shape of theelectromagnet is desirably cylindrical and the shape of the permanentmagnet 116 is desirably tubular, although the electromagnet and thepermanent magnet 116 may have any other configuration. In thisembodiment both the electromagnet and the permanent magnet 116 may haveferromagnetic material placed adjacent to them to increase the forceoutput of the actuator 110.

In this embodiment, the force in the actuator 110 can be modulated bycontrolling the current in the electromagnet. When the current in theelectromagnet flows in one direction, then the magnetic force will pushthe moving mass 112 towards one side of the actuator. Conversely whenthe current in the electromagnet flows in the other direction, then themoving mass 112 will be pushed to the other side of the actuator 110.Increasing the amount of current in the electromagnet will increase theamount of force applied onto the moving mass 112.

Another embodiment of the linear motion vibration actuator 100 inaccordance with the present invention is shown in FIGS. 6A-B. Here,linear motion vibration actuator 120 preferably contains a moving mass122 that comprises a permanent magnet, as well as an electromagnetmagnet 126 attached to base 124. The motion of the moving mass 122 isalong the x axis as shown in the side view in FIG. 6A. The magnetizationpolarity of the permanent magnet is along the x axis as shown by theNorth and South poles on the permanent magnet. The electromagnet 126 ispreferably a coil wound about the x axis. As shown in the end view ofFIG. 6B, in this embodiment the shape of the electromagnet 124 istubular and the shape of the permanent magnet is cylindrical.

In this embodiment both the electromagnet 124 and the permanent magnetof the moving mass 122 may have ferromagnetic material placed adjacentto them to increase the force output of the actuator 120. The force inthe actuator 120 can be modulated by controlling the current in theelectromagnet 124. When the current in the electromagnet 124 flows inone direction, then the magnetic force will push the moving mass 122towards one side of the actuator 120. Conversely when the current in theelectromagnet flows in the other direction, then the moving mass 122will be pushed to the other side of the actuator 120. Increasing theamount of current in the electromagnet will increase the amount of forceapplied onto the moving mass 122.

Another embodiment of the linear motion vibration actuator 100 inaccordance with aspects of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 7A-B,which is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A-B. Here, actuator130 includes a moving mass 132 and a base 134. The moving mass 132preferably comprises a permanent magnet. An electromagnet 136 at leastpartly surrounds the moving mass 132. The electromagnet 136 is desirablyconnected to the base 134. Unlike the actuator 120, the actuator 130 inthis embodiment preferably includes one or more springs 138 that areattached to the base 134 and to the moving magnet 132 at either end, asshown in the side view of FIG. 7A. The springs 138 are operable togenerate forces in a direction that returns the moving mass 132 to acenter position, for instance midway between either end of theelectromagnet 136.

The springs 138 function to keep the moving mass 132 close to the centerposition when the actuator power is off, and to provide a restoringforce when the moving mass 132 is at one end of travel of the actuator130. The stiffness of the springs 138 can be selected so that thenatural frequency of the actuator 130 increases the amplitude ofvibration at desired natural frequencies. This spring effect can begenerated from a single spring, from a nonlinear spring, from extensionsprings, as well as compression springs. A number of such springconfigurations which may be employed with the present invention aredescribed in the aforementioned U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/325,036.

Another embodiment of the linear motion vibration actuator 100 accordingto aspects of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 8A-B. Thisembodiment is similar to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6A-B and 7-B inthat actuator 140 includes a moving mass 142 including a permanentmagnet, a base 144, and an electromagnet 146 coupled to the base 144 andat least partly surrounding the moving mass 142. The electromagnet 146may be, e.g., rigidly or semi-rigidly coupled such that a vibrationforce is transmitted from the actuator 140 to the base 144, for instanceto enable a user to perceive the vibration force. In this embodiment, apair of permanent magnets 148 is attached to the base and are inoperative relation to the moving magnet 142 at either end as shown inthe side view of FIG. 8A. The permanent magnets 148 have poles, as shownby the N and S in FIG. 8A, which are configured to repel the moving mass142 and to generate forces in a direction that returns the moving mass142 to a center position. The permanent magnets 148 function to keep themoving mass 142 close to a center position when the actuator power isoff, and to provide a restoring force when the moving mass 142 is at oneend of travel of the actuator 140.

The size of the permanent magnets 148 attached to the base 144 can beselected so that the natural frequency of the actuator 140 increases theamplitude of vibration at desired natural frequencies. The actuator 140may be controlled so that one or more natural frequencies are selectedduring different modes or times of operation. Use of repulsive magneticforces as shown in FIG. 8A to generate centering forces on the movingpermanent magnet of the moving mass 142 can provide lower friction thanuse of springs 138 as shown in FIG. 7A, and thus can generate increasedactuator efficiency and smoothness. A number of configurations showinguse of permanent magnets to center a moving mass, which are suitable foruse in the present invention, are described in the aforementioned“Vibration Device” patent application.

Alternative embodiments of linear motion vibration actuators that mayalso be utilized with the present invention include both springs andmagnets, either alone or in combination, that return a moving masstowards the center of range of motion of the actuator.

A further alternative embodiment of the linear motion vibration actuator100 in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 9. Thisembodiment comprises actuator 150, which is similar to a solenoid inthat it has a ferromagnetic moving plunger 152 for moving relative to abase 154. The plunger 152 is pulled into an electromagnetic coil 156when current flows through the coil 156. The coil 156 is coupled to thebase 154. A ferromagnetic end piece 158 can be located within or at theend of the coil 156 to increase the force output of the actuator 150. Aspring device 160 may be positioned opposite the end piece 158. Thespring device 160 is preferably employed to retract the plunger 152 outof the coil 156. As shown in FIG. 9, both an end of the coil 156 and anend of the spring 160 are desirably fixed to the base 154 of theactuator 150. The coil 156 and the spring 160 may be fixed to a singlebase at different sections thereon, or may be fixed to separate baseelements that are coupled together. The current in the coil 156 can beturned on and off to generate a vibration force.

A preferred embodiment of a vibration device 200 according to thepresent invention is shown in FIG. 10. In this embodiment, the vibrationdevice 200 preferably includes two linear motion vibration actuatorsmounted on to it, namely actuator 202 and actuator 204. The actuator 202includes a moving mass 206 and the actuator 204 includes a moving mass208. The vibration actuators 202, 204 are attached to the vibrationdevice 200 in a manner that transmits the force from the vibrationactuators 202, 204 to the vibration device 200. Preferably the vibrationdevice 200 has an enclosure or base (not shown) to which the vibrationactuators 202, 204 are connected.

The vibration actuators 202, 204 are desirably attached in a relativelyrigid fashion to the vibration device enclosure or base. Rigidattachment provides a common base to the vibration device 200, uponwhich forces from both vibration actuators 202, 204 are applied. In thisembodiment, the two actuators 202, 204 are mounted at approximatelyright angles to each other. The force generated by actuator 202 is shownas force vector F₁, and the force vector from actuator 204 is shown asF₂. As expressed herein, vectors and matrices are designated by boldfont and scalars are designated without bolding. The combined forcegenerated by the vibration device 200 is the vector sum of the vibrationforces from both of the actuators 202, 204, and is shown in FIG. 10 asvector F_(combined).

The combined force, F_(combined), applied by the vibration actuators 202and 204 onto the vibration device 200 is a superposition of thevibration forces from each actuator, and is a function of time, t. Theforce vector can F_(combined)(t) is given by the vector equation:F _(combined)(t)=F ₁(t)+F ₂(t)  (5)where F₁(t) is the force vector from actuator 202 as a function of time,and F₂(t) is the force vector from actuator 204 as a function of time.

Both actuators 202, 204 can be operated in a vibratory fashion. For thecase of a sine wave vibration, the actuator forces can be given by:F ₁(t)=a ₁ A ₁ sin(ω₁ t+φ ₁)  (6)andF ₂(t)=a ₂ A ₂ sin(ω₂ t+φ ₂)  (7)respectively, where A₁ and A₂ are the respective amplitudes ofvibration, a₁ and a₂ are the unit vectors corresponding to therespective directions of vibration, ω₁ and ω₂ are the respectivefrequencies of vibration, φ₁ and φ₂ are the respective phase angles, andt is time. Other profile vibrations including square waves, trianglewaves, and other profiles can also be implemented with each actuator.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, actuator 202 is aligned with the yaxis, and thus the unit vector a₁ is represented by:

$\begin{matrix}{a_{1} = \begin{bmatrix}0 \\1\end{bmatrix}} & (8)\end{matrix}$and the unit vector a₂ aligned with the x axis and is represented by:

$\begin{matrix}{a_{2} = \begin{bmatrix}1 \\0\end{bmatrix}} & (9)\end{matrix}$The combined force vector, F_(combined), is given by the superpositionof forces form the actuators 202 and 204, and thus is given by:F _(combined)(t)=a ₁ k sin(ω₁ t+φ ₁)+a ₂ A ₂ sin(ω₂ t+φ ₂)  (10)

It is possible to vibrate actuators 202 and 204 shown in FIG. 10 in amanner that is in-phase and in synchronous vibration. Under suchvibration, there will be a single vibration frequency, ω and a singlephase φ Accordingly, F_(combined) can be given by:F _(combined)(t)=[a ₁ k+a ₂ A ₂] sin(ωt+φ)  (11)

With such in-phase and synchronous vibration the vibration issynchronized, then the peak forces from both linear motion vibrationactuators will occur at the same instances during each cycle ofvibration. The net direction of vibration force is the vectorcombination of [a₁A₁+a₂A₂]. Thus, in synchronized vibration and in-phasevibration, the vibration device generates a vibration force at aspecified frequency in a specified direction that results from thevector combination of forces from the direction and magnitude of each ofthe actuators in the device. It is possible to control the magnitude ofvibration in each linear motion vibration actuator, and thereby controlthe net direction of vibration of F_(combined).

In a preferred example, the vibration frequency, ω, phase φ, andwaveform of each actuator are substantially identical. For instance, ω₂may be set to be substantially equal to ω₁ and ω₂ may be set to besubstantially equal to φ₁. By way of example only, ω₂ may be set towithin 10% of the value of ω₁, more preferably to within 5% of the valueof ω₁. Similarly, by way of example only, φ₂ may be set to within 10% ofthe value of ω₁, more preferably to within 5% of the value of φ₁. Inanother example, the frequencies and/or phases may be set exactly equalto one another. Alternatively, the frequencies, phases, and/or waveformsof each actuator may be set so that a user would not be able to noticethe difference in frequency, phase or waveform. In a furtheralternative, if the vibration device is used in a haptic application togenerate force sensations on the user, small variations may occur whichmay not be detected by the user or which cannot be significantly felt bythe user. In other instances, force sensations in a haptic applicationor in a vibratory feeder application may vary minutely so that userperformance in the haptic application or performance of the vibratoryfeeder is not significantly changed.

It is also possible to apply equation 11 to a vibration profile/waveformof arbitrary shape. Here, waveform p(t) may be used to represent thewaveform shape over time t. A period of vibration may be represented byp(t)=p(t+nT), where n=1, 2, 3, etc. and T is the period of vibration. Inthis case, an arbitrarily shaped synchronized vibration profile may berepresented as:F _(combined)(t)=[a ₁(t)A ₁(t)+a ₂(t)A ₂(t)]p(t)  (11.1)When the direction of vibration force for each actuator is substantiallyconstant relative to a base member, the arbitrarily shaped synchronizedvibration profile may be represented as:F _(combined)(t)=[a ₁ A ₁(t)+a ₂ A ₂(t)]p(t)  (11.2)

To illustrate how the direction of F_(combined) can be controlled, thepeak magnitudes, A₁ and A₂, are represented in FIGS. 10 and 11 by thelocation of the moving masses 206 and 208 within each of the actuators202 and 204, respectively. In FIG. 10, both actuator 202 and actuator204 are desirably vibrated at the same amplitude, and the correspondingF_(combined) is at approximately a 45 degree angle between the actuators202, 204.

By varying the magnitude of the vibration force in the actuators 202,204, it becomes possible to control the direction of vibration of thecombined force effect. In FIG. 11, the actuator 202 is vibrating at peakamplitude as illustrated by the peak position of moving mass 206 at theend of travel limits of actuator 202. However, actuator 204 is vibratingat a lower peak amplitude, as illustrated by the peak position of movingmass 208 closer to the middle of travel limits of actuator 204. Thelower peak force is also illustrated in FIG. 11 by the shorter lengthvector for F₂. The direction of the combined force, F_(combined), is theresult of vector addition of F₁ and F₂, and for vibrations illustratedin FIG. 11 is rotated counterclockwise relative to the direction shownin FIG. 10.

In a similar fashion, the direction of combined force can be rotated inthe clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 12. The vibration caseillustrated in FIG. 12 shows the peak amplitude of vibration of actuator202 reduced relative to that shown in FIG. 10, while the peak amplitudeof actuator 204 remains high. In this case, the vector addition of F₁and F₂ results in a clockwise rotation of F_(combined) in FIG. 12relative to the direction shown in FIG. 10.

It is also possible to change the direction of F_(combined) to anadjacent quadrant. As shown in FIG. 13, the sign of the F₂ has changedbe in the direction of the negative x axis, relative to the positive xdirection that shown in FIG. 10. The change in sign of F₂ can beachieved by changing the sign of A₂ in equation 11 above. It should benoted that one could achieve a similar representation of the combinedforce equation by defining actuator 204 vibration as at 180 degrees outof phase of actuator 202. However, changing the sign on the actuatorsvibration amplitude maintains the form of equation of synchronousvibration shown in equation 11. Thus, vibration that can be representedas 180 degrees out of phase can also be represented as in-phasevibration but with a negative amplitude of vibration.

An alternative embodiment of a vibration device in accordance with thepresent invention is shown in FIG. 14. Here, vibration device 210includes a first actuator 212 and a second actuator 214, havingrespective moving masses 216 and 218. FIG. 14 represents a twodimensional embodiment where two linear motion vibration actuators 212,214 are aligned with an xy plane. In this embodiment, it is notnecessary for the actuators 212, 214 to be orthogonal to each other. A₁and A₂ are respectively the amplitudes of vibration of actuators 212 and214, while a₁ and a₂ are respectively the unit vectors specifying thedirection of vibration of actuators 212 and 214.

The unit vector a₁ is given by:

$\begin{matrix}{a_{1} = \begin{bmatrix}{\cos(\alpha)} \\{\sin(\alpha)}\end{bmatrix}} & (12)\end{matrix}$where the angle α describes the orientation of actuator 1 relative tothe x axis as shown in FIG. 14. The unit vector a₂ is given by:

$\begin{matrix}{a_{2} = \begin{bmatrix}{\cos(\beta)} \\{\sin(\beta)}\end{bmatrix}} & (13)\end{matrix}$where the angle β describes the orientation of actuator 2 relative tothe x axis as shown in FIG. 14.

For a given vibration waveform the maximum magnitude of force vectors,F_(1,max) and F_(2,max), from actuators 212 and 214 in FIG. 14 can begiven by equations:F _(1,max) =A ₁ a ₁  (14)F _(2,max) =A ₂ a ₂  (15)

When actuators 212 and 214 are vibrated synchronously and in-phase (e.g.with the same frequency and with zero phase difference), then themaximum force amplitude occurs at the same time. Thus the maximumcombined force vector, F_(combined,max), is given though superpositionof the force vectors, and is given by:F _(combined,max) =F _(1,max) +F _(2,max)  (16)

A matrix of actuator directions, D_(L), can be created where each of itscolumns is a unit vector that corresponds to the direction of vibrationof a linear motion vibration actuator in a vibration device. For avibration device with two linear motion vibration actuators, such as theone shown in FIG. 14, the matrix D_(L) is given by:D _(L) =[a ₁ |a ₂]  (17)where a₁ and a₂ are column vectors.

A matrix representation of the combined force is given by:

$\begin{matrix}{F_{{combined},{{ma}\; x}} = {D_{L}\begin{bmatrix}A_{1} \\A_{2}\end{bmatrix}}} & (18)\end{matrix}$where A₁ and A₂ are scalars. For the case of vibration in a plane, thevectors a₁ and a₂ will be 2×1 vectors and the matrix D_(L) will be 2×2.

When the direction matrix, D_(L), is invertible then the amplitude ofvibration in the individual actuators that corresponds to a desiredcombined force vector, F_(combined), is given by:

$\begin{matrix}{\begin{bmatrix}A_{1} \\A_{2\;}\end{bmatrix} = {D^{- 1}{Fcombined}}} & (19)\end{matrix}$

When the actuators are aligned orthogonally, then the direction matrix,D_(L), is orthonormal and its inverse is given by its transpose as shownbelow:D ⁻¹ =D ^(T)  (20)

When the direction matrix, D_(L), in not invertible because there aremore vibration actuators than directions of force being controlled, thena pseudo inverse of matrix D_(L) can be used. For example, if there are3 vibration actuators in the xy plane, and the control objective is onlyto control a two dimensional force, the D_(L) matrix is given by:D _(L) =[a ₁ |a ₂ |a ₃]  (21)where a₁, a₂, and a₃ are 2×1 column vectors.

The pseudo inverse is described in “Introduction to Linear Algebra”, 3rdEdition by Gilbert Strang, published in 2003 by Wellesley-CambridgePress, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein.

One method for calculating a pseudo inverse, D₁ ⁺, is given by:D _(L) ⁺ =D _(L) ^(T)(D _(L) D _(L) ^(T))⁻¹  (22)

In such a case the amplitude of vibration for each actuator can be givenby:

$\begin{matrix}{\begin{bmatrix}A_{1} \\A_{2} \\A_{2\;}\end{bmatrix} = {D_{L}^{+}{Fcombined}}} & (23)\end{matrix}$

It is possible to specify the combined force vector, F_(combined) interms of a direction of vibration and amplitude. For a two dimensionalembodiment the combined amplitude of vibration can be specified by thescalar A_(combined), and the direction of vibration can be specified byan angle, theta, as shown in FIG. 14. In this two dimensional embodimentF_(combined) can be given by:

$\begin{matrix}{F_{combined} = {A_{{combined}\;}\begin{bmatrix}{\cos({theta})} \\{\sin({theta})}\end{bmatrix}}} & (24)\end{matrix}$

Thus, it can be seen that the amplitudes of vibration, A1 and A2, can berepresented in terms of the direction of vibration, theta, combinedamplitude of vibration, A_(combined), and direction matrix, D_(L), asgiven by:

$\begin{matrix}{\begin{bmatrix}A_{1} \\A_{2}\end{bmatrix} = {D_{L\;}^{- 1}{{Acombined}\begin{bmatrix}{\cos({theta})} \\{\sin({theta})}\end{bmatrix}}}} & (25)\end{matrix}$

Equation 25 provides the scalar magnitude of A₁ and A₂. When the sign ofA₁ is different than the sign of A₂ then vibration waveform can begenerated directly using the results of Eq. Avec. Alternatively, thewaveform can be generated using absolute values of A₁ and A₂ but withone waveform completely out of phase with the other waveform. A sinewave is defined to be completely out of phase when it is 180 degrees outof phase. General waveforms are defined to be completely out of phasewhen the maximum positive amplitude of vibration of one waveformconcedes with the maximum negative amplitude of the other waveform. Adepiction of two actuators vibrating completely out of phase is shown inFIG. 13. Two actuators vibrating completely out of phase are alsoconsidered to be in synchronized vibration.

It is also possible to specify the combined direction of vibration interms of a unit vector, a_(combined), as shown in FIG. 14. The vectorF_(combined) can be given by:F _(combined) =A _(combined) ×a _(combined)  (26)

Another configuration according to aspects of the present invention is athree dimensional configuration, where there are at least 3 linearmotion vibration actuators as shown in FIG. 15.

In the vibration device 220 of FIG. 15, actuators 222, 224 and 226 eachinclude a moving mass 228, 230 and 232, respectively. The actuators 222,224 and 226 are preferably orthogonal to each other and aligned with anxyz coordinate system. In an alternative three dimensional embodimentthe actuators are not necessarily orthogonal to each other; yet theforce vectors of the actuators span the three dimensional vector space.With such an alternative, an arbitrary direction of three dimensionalforce can be generated. In the three dimensional cases, the combineddirection of vibration can be specified by the 3×1 unit vector,a_(combined). The three dimensional combined force can be given by thesame equations for the 2 dimensional case, as shown belowF _(combined) =A _(combined) ×a _(combined)  (27)where a_(combined) and F_(combined) are 3 dimensional vectors.

Vibration devices according to the present invention may include anarbitrary number of actuators in arbitrary locations and orientations.

FIG. 16 illustrates a vibration device 240 having a pair of actuators242 and 244. The actuators 242 and 244 include moving masses 246 and248, respectively. In this embodiment, vibration device housing 250 isconfigured as a hand held game controller for computer or video games.Linear motion vibration actuator 242 is shown as being located in theleft handle and linear motion vibration actuator 244 is shown as beinglocated in the right handle. The actuators 242 and 244 need not beorthogonal, and need not be in the same plane.

Another alternative embodiment of a vibration device according to thepresent invention is shown in FIG. 17, where vibration device 260includes a first linear motion vibration actuator 262 and a secondlinear motion vibration actuator 264. As shown, the actuators 262, 264are located on top of each other. An advantage of such a configurationis that the actuators 262, 264 create little torque about the center ofthe vibration device 260, which may be desirable in some vibrationapplications.

In a variation of FIG. 17, FIG. 18 illustrates a game controller 270having two linear actuators, 272 and 274 disposed perpendicular to eachother. The actuators 272 and 274 are preferably rigidly mounted to case276 of a game controller. The actuators 272 and 274 could be mounted ina plane of any angle; however, they are preferably mounted in ahorizontal plane of the case 276. The actuators 272 and 274 do not haveto be located one on top of the other; rather they can be attached tothe same rigid body, such as the case 276 of a game controller. Ofcourse, one could attach three or more linear actuators to the case 276,preferably at right angles to each other to create force vectors thanspan the three dimensional space of the case 276. Moreover, theactuators do not have to be at right angles to each other. Desirably,the actuators are positioned relative to one another with differentorientations.

A further embodiment of a vibration device according to the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 19. Here, vibration device 280 includes twolinear motion vibration actuators, 282 and 284, which are aligned intheir orientation but separated by a distance D. Actuator 282 includesmoving mass 286 and actuator 284 includes moving mass 288. The actuators282, 284 may be vibrated such that the moving mass 286 in actuator 282is at a negative extreme along the y axis when the moving mass 288 inactuator 284 has a positive extreme along the y axis. In this fashionthe two actuators 282, 284 generate a combined torque when vibrated in asynchronous fashion. The embodiment shown in FIG. 19 could be operated,in one example, such that the moving masses 286 and 288 move in the samedirection when synchronized, and thereby generate a combined force alongthe y axis. In this fashion the configuration shown in FIG. 19 could beused to generate a combined torque, a combined force, or a combinationof force and torque.

An alternative embodiment of a vibration device 290 in accordance withaspects of the present invention is shown in FIG. 20. Here, three linearmotion vibration actuators 292, 294 and 296, each having a moving mass,are orientated on an xy plane. In this embodiment it is possible togenerate a combined force and a combined torque. It is also possible toindependently control the combine force and torque by modulating theamplitude of vibration in each of the actuators 292, 294 and 296. Thecombined torque and force are superpositions of the forces and torquesgenerated by each actuator. Since there are three actuators that can becontrolled independently, the components of the force along the x axis,the force along the y axis, and the torque about a selected point on thexy plane can all be modulated independently.

In the vibration device embodiments described herein the vibrationactuators may be attached to the vibration device in a rigid, asemi-rigid or a non-rigid fashion. Even when vibration actuators areattached in a non-rigid fashion to a vibration device, the vibrationdevice is operable to transmit the superposition of forces from allvibration actuators. When vibration actuators are attached in a rigidfashion to a vibration device, the combined force applied by thevibration device becomes less dependent on the location where thevibration device transmits force and torques to other bodies. Inaddition, the more rigid the attachment between the vibration actuatorsand the vibration device, the more uniform the timing of the forcesuperposition becomes at all points of the vibration device.

In an example, it is possible to attach the actuators directly onto aperson's hand and body, for instance as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos.6,275,213 and 6,424,333. In uses of the present invention whereactuators are directly attached or indirectly coupled to the hand orbody, the vibration force from each actuator may be felt directly atdifferent locations on the body, yet a synchronized combined forcevector can still be applied onto the body by synchronizing the operationof the actuators.

Vibration devices in accordance with the present invention can be builtwith rotary vibration actuators as well as with linear motion vibrationactuators. In some cases the cost to manufacture rotary vibrationactuators is less than the cost to manufacture linear motion vibrationactuators. Thus, if cost is a factor, it may be desirable to utilizerotary vibration actuators in place of or in combination with linearmotion vibration actuators. However, in order to generate synchronizedvibration with rotary vibration actuators, it is necessary to controlthe rotary position of the actuators along with the rotary velocity.

A rotary vibration actuator may comprise, for example, a DC motor, arotary solenoid, a rotary stepper motor, a servo motor, or other type ofrotary actuator. One advantage of rotary actuators is their relativelylow cost. The servo motor uses a position sensor and/or a velocitysensor for feedback. In some situations the rotary stepper motor may bemore desirable because it allows for control of position and velocitywithout the use of a sensor.

FIG. 21 shows a rotary vibration actuator 300 suitable for use with thepresent invention. The actuator 300 includes an eccentric mass 302coupled to a rotary actuator 304 along a shaft 306. As the rotaryactuator 304 is rotated, a centrifugal force is generated in the radialdirection aligned with the eccentric mass 302 as shown by the vector CFin FIG. 21.

Many existing vibrators utilize rotary vibration actuators witheccentric masses, but not with synchronized vibration. In accordancewith the present invention, a pair of rotary vibration actuators can beconfigured to achieve a vibration force that is aligned with a singledirection of motion. Accordingly, a pair of such rotary actuators can beused when a vibration force in a specified direction is required.

For instance, a vibration device according to the present invention canbe built, by way of example only, with two rotary vibration actuatorsthat rotate in opposite directions, as shown in FIG. 22. As shown, thevibration device 310 includes a pair of rotary vibration actuators 312and 314, each having an eccentric mass 316 and 318, respectively.Actuator 312 preferably rotates clockwise, and actuator 314 preferablyrotates counterclockwise. In the orientation shown the centrifugal forcevectors from both actuators are aligned with the y axis and superimposeto create a combined force vector, CVF, in the y direction.

With rotary vibration actuators it is possible to create synchronizedvibration in an analogous fashion to the synchronized vibrationdescribed with linear motion vibration actuators. With rotary vibratingactuators, synchronized vibration is defined to occur where two rotaryactuators rotate in approximately the same plane at the same angularvelocity in opposite directions, and where the relative angle betweenthe actuators is controlled, such that the actuator centrifugal forcevectors align repeatedly in the direction of desired vibration force.

The direction of vibration force can be controlled with a pair of rotary(or rocking) vibration actuators by controlling the angle at which thecentrifugal force vectors become aligned. Therefore, it is possible tocontrol the direction of combined force with rotary actuators in afashion analogous to how the direction of combined force can becontrolled with multiple linear vibration actuators.

FIG. 23 shows the embodiment of two rotary vibration actuators asdescribed with respect to FIG. 22, wherein the actuators are controlledin synchronized vibration for a number of positions. As shown in FIG.23, the combined force vector, CFV, remains in the y axis, and itsmagnitude changes according to the rotary position of the actuators. Themaximum combined force vector occurs when the centrifugal force fromboth rotary actuators are aligned.

An alternative type of rotary actuator suitable for use with the presentinvention is a rotary actuator with a pivoting mass. FIGS. 24A-Cillustrate respective front, side and bottom views of an exemplarypivoting actuator 400, which includes a mass 402 operable to pivotrelative to a rotary actuator 404. The mass 402 is connected to therotary actuator 404 via a shaft 406. The center of mass of the mass 402can be located anywhere on the body of the mass 402. Thus, the center ofmass may be concentric with the axis of rotation, or eccentric to theaxis of rotation. The pivoting actuator 400 may be configured tofunction in a manner similar to the rotary vibration actuators discussedabove.

As seen in FIGS. 25A-C, the rotary actuator 404 may be affixed to asupport 408, which, in turn, may connect to another object (not shown).Preferably a spring device 410 couples the pivoting mass 402 to asupport 412, which may be the same or a different support than thesupport 408. FIG. 25A illustrates the pivoting actuator 400 when thespring device 410 is in a rest state when the pivoting mass 402 is in acentral position.

The mass 402 may pivot in either a clockwise or counterclockwise manner.FIG. 25B illustrates counterclockwise operation. Here, the spring device410 is in a compressed state. In the present embodiment as shown, thespring device 410 is under a compression force that is primarily linearand is applied toward the right hand side of the figure. FIG. 25Cillustrates clockwise operation of the mass 402. Here, the spring device410 is in an uncompressed state in response to a force that is primarilylinear and is applied toward the left hand side of the figure.

Vibration forces and/or torques can be generated with the pivotingactuator 400 as shown in FIGS. 25A-C. The pivoting actuator 400 can beactivated to pivot the pivoting mass 402 first clockwise and thencounterclockwise, or vice versa. As the pivoting mass 402 rocks back andforth, the spring device 410 generates a vibration force, a torque, orboth a vibration force and torque onto the object to which it is affixedvia the support 408. In this fashion, if the pivoting mass 402 has acenter of mass concentric with the axis of rotation, the pivoting mass402 can be used to generate a vibration torque. Also in this fashion, ifthe pivoting mass 402 has a center of mass eccentric with the axis ofrotation, the pivoting mass 402 can be used to generate a vibrationforce.

Vibration forces and/or torques can be generated by moving a mass backand forth. It is possible to define the beginning of a vibrationwaveform as an instance at which a mass reverses its direction ofmotion. For linear actuators, the reversal of direction is a reversal oftranslation. For rotary actuators, the reversal of direction is areversal of rotation. In general, the reversal of motion of a mass in anactuator may include both translation and rotation.

In actuators having a spring device attached to a moving mass, energycan be built up in the spring device, especially when the mass is movedback and forth close to a natural frequency of the mass and springsystem. In such cases, the maximum vibration force can occur at themaximum deformation of the spring device, which can occur when the massreaches its maximum excursion and reverses its direction. Accordingly,moving masses in two (or more) actuators that are operating insynchronized vibration, can reverse direction at approximately the sametime.

An alternative method for generating vibration would be to operate thepivoting actuator 400 in a clockwise (or counterclockwise) direction andthen deactivate the pivoting actuator 400 while allowing the springdevice 410 to rotate the pivoting mass 402 in the counterclockwise (orclockwise) direction. This approach would allow one to use pivotingactuators and control circuitry that only operates in a singledirection.

FIG. 26 illustrates a variation of the pivoting actuator 400, namelypivoting actuator 400′, which desirably includes the pivoting mass 402operable to pivot relative to the rotary actuator 404, and which isconnected thereto via the shaft 406. As above, the rotary actuator 404may be affixed to the support 408, which, in turn, may connect toanother object (not shown). Preferably a first spring device 410 acouples the pivoting mass 402 to a first support 412 a, and a secondspring device 410 b also couples the pivoting mass 402 to a secondsupport 412 b. The supports 412 a and 412 b may be a single support,separate supports that are physically connected, or physicallydisconnected supports. One or both of the supports 412 a,b may be thesame or a different support than the support 408.

One type of pivoting actuator 400 that could be employed is a DC motor.However, not all the components of the DC motor are necessary for thisapplication, because the output shaft does not rotate continuously.Accordingly it is not necessary to have motor brushes, which can reducecost as well as electrical power losses and frictional losses. In apreferred example, the pivoting actuator 400 may essentially include astator and a rotor. The stator may be stationary and desirably containspermanent magnets and/or electromagnets. The rotor is operable to pivotand can contain permanent magnets and/or electromagnets. The polarity ofthe magnets in the stator and rotor can be configured so that activationof the electromagnets causes an electromagnetic torque to be exertedonto the rotating mass 402.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 25A-C, the spring device 410 is configured tooperate in a generally linear fashion. However, In order to generatelarge magnitude of vibration forces with small actuators, it can beadvantageous to utilize the resonance of a system. The embodiments shownin FIGS. 25A-C have both a mass and a spring, and thus have a resonantfrequency. If the actuator is excited at or close to this resonantfrequency large amplitude vibrations can build up. However, it can bedesirable to operate the vibration device at a range of frequencies. Itis possible for a device to have a variable resonant frequency with useof nonlinear spring forces, as discussed in the aforementioned“Vibration Device” patent application. Accordingly, one could use anonlinear spring in the vibration device to achieve larger amplitude ofvibration over a range of frequencies.

It is possible to generate nonlinear spring force, even with use of alinear spring element. Consider the embodiment shown in FIG. 27A. Here,pivoting actuator 420 has a mass 422 operable to pivot relative to arotary actuator 424. The mass 422 is connected to the rotary actuator424 via a shaft 426. The rotary actuator 424 may be affixed to a support427, which, in turn, may connect to another object (not shown).Preferably a spring device 428 couples the pivoting mass 422 to asupport 427′, which may be the same or a different support than thesupport 427.

As shown in FIG. 27A, the spring device 428 is desirably placed in-linewith the pivoting mass axis. When the pivoting mass 422 is rotated asmall amount about the center position very little lengthening occurs inthe spring device 428. Accordingly, the effective spring constant is lowand the resonant frequency is low.

Low frequency operation is desirable in some situations, for instance ingames that have low frequency effects. For instance, games may generateactions or events in the sub-200 Hertz range, such as between 15 and 150Hertz. In certain cases the actions or events may be as low as 20-50Hertz or lower, such as about 10-20 Hertz. Examples of suchactions/events include gunshots, automobile related sounds such as a carspinning out of control, and helicopter related sounds such as thewhirring of the rotor blades. Eccentric mass actuators may not besuitable to generate a haptic sensation in this frequency range, butpivoting actuators or linear actuators may generate such frequencies.

As the magnitude of rotation of the pivoting mass 422 increases, thelengthening of the spring device 428 increases as shown in FIGS. 27B and27C. Accordingly, for larger amplitudes of rotation, the effectivespring constant is higher and the natural frequency of the system ishigher. In order to quickly ramp up the vibration amplitude when anonlinear spring force is used, the excitation frequency can be variedso that it always matches the natural frequency of the vibration device.

FIG. 27D illustrates a rotating actuator 430 having a rotating mass 432coupled to rotary actuator 434 via shaft 436. The rotary actuator 434 isdesirably coupled to a support 437, which, in turn, may connect toanother object (not shown). In this alternative, a spring device such asa torsion spring 438 is attached between the rotating mass 432 and therotary actuator 434. As shown, one end or tang 439 a of the torsionspring 438 is attached to the rotating mass 432, and the other end ortang 439 b is attached to the support 437 (or, alternatively, to therotary actuator 434 itself). Torsion spring 438 may be employed becausesuch spring devices permit a large degree of rotation of the rotatingmass 432 relative to the rotary actuator 434 and the support 437.

FIGS. 27E and 27F illustrate a further rotating actuator, namelyrotating actuator 440. The rotating actuator 440 includes a rotatingmass 442 having a slot 443 therein, a rotary actuator 444, and a shaft446 coupling the rotating mass 442 to the rotary actuator 444. Therotary actuator 444 is desirably coupled to a support 447, which, inturn, may connect to another object (not shown). In this embodiment apin 445 is held within the slot 443. A spring device 448 is coupled atone end or tang 449 a to the pin 445. The spring device 448 is coupledat the other end or tang 449 b to a support 447′. The support 447′ ispreferably different from the support 447, or, alternatively, ispreferably a different section of the support 447 from where the rotaryactuator is coupled.

FIG. 27E shows the spring device 448 in a “rest” position. FIG. 27Fshows the spring device 448 in a “compressed” position. Here, by way ofexample only, the rotating mass 442 may be rotating in a clockwisedirection. As the rotating mass 442 rotates, the pin 445 moves relativeto the slot 443, but the spring device 448 remains in substantially thesame orientation relative to the support 447′. In this fashion, theforce applied onto the fixed 447′ remains in relatively the samedirection as the moving mass 442 rotates. It is possible to incorporatea gap between the slot 443 and the pin 445 that would allow for somerotation of the shaft 446 before the spring device 448 is extended orcompressed from its rest position. The gap would create a non-linearforce effect on the rotating mass 442, which could aid in increasing themagnitude of vibration. The gap would allow the shaft 446 to morequickly reach higher speeds and for the rotating actuator 440 to morequickly build up rotating inertia.

While several types of actuators have been described above that may beused with the present invention, other types of actuators may also beemployed so long as they can be controlled as described herein. Forinstance, piezoelectric devices without separate or distinct “moving”and “stationary” masses may be employed either alone or in combinationwith other actuator types to impart vibratory forces in the mannersdescribed herein.

FIG. 28 illustrates a synchronized vibration system 450, which maycomprise two vibration devices 452 and 454, such as any of those ofFIGS. 24A-C, 25A-C, 26 and/or 27A-F. Of course, more that two vibrationdevices may be provided.

The vibration devices 452 and 454 are preferably mounted onto a baseplate 456 in a generally orthogonal manner as shown, althoughorthogonality is not required. The vibration device 452 is preferably ahorizontal vibrator that desirably has a spring device 458 which appliesprimarily horizontal forces onto the base plate 456. The vibrationdevice 454 is preferably a vertical vibrator that desirably has a springdevice 460 that applies primarily vertical forces onto the base plate456. As long as the directions of the vibration forces of the differentvibration devices are not aligned, it is possible to control thecombined direction of vibration using the synchronized vibration methodsas described herein as well as in the aforementioned “Vibration Device”patent application.

An alternative embodiment of the present invention includes two rotaryvibration actuators whose planes of vibration are not the same; however,in this case the two planes are not orthogonal to each other. In thisembodiment, the component of centrifugal force from one actuator thatcan be projected onto the plane of the other actuator can be used toachieve a component of synchronous vibration.

In one example, two or more vibration devices may be mounted devicesinto a game controller, as shown in FIG. 29A. Here, a game controller470 includes a pair of vibration devices 472 and 474 mounted in both theright and left handles, respectively, of housing 476. The directions ofvibration of the vibration devices 472 and 474 are preferably notaligned, and thus it is possible to control the direction of vibrationusing the synchronized vibration approach discussed herein.

There are many orientations of both the rotary actuators and springsthat can be used to achieve an embodiment where synchronized vibrationis possible. For instance, the axis of rotation of both actuators can bealigned while the spring direction can vary, allowing an alternativeconfiguration for synchronized vibration. FIG. 29B illustrates a gamecontroller 480 having a pair of vibration devices 482 and 484 within ahousing 486 where the axes of the rotating shafts in both rotaryactuators are aligned, yet the spring forces are not aligned.

FIG. 30 illustrates yet another variation similar to the rotary andpivoting vibration devices. Here, a rocking actuator 490 preferablyincludes a rocking weight 492 rotatable about a shaft 494. Desirably,one end of the rocking weight 492 is operatively coupled via a firstspring device 496 a to a first support 498 a. The same end of therocking weight 492 is also desirably operatively coupled via a secondspring device 496 b to a second support 498 b. The supports 498 a and498 b may be a single support, separate supports that are physicallyconnected, or physically disconnected supports. The rocking actuator 490may be implemented in a device such as a game controller in any of theconfiguration described above.

A controller for synchronized vibration of a pair of rotary vibrationactuators specifies the angular position of each rotating shaft, suchthat the angle where the centrifugal force vectors are aligned is thedesired direction of force vibration and the angular position isincremented such that the rotational velocity matches the desiredvibration frequency.

A system 500 having a controller for one or more vibration devices thatuse linear motion vibration actuators is shown in FIG. 31. Vibrationdevice controller 502 specifies the desired vibration effect and one ormore driver circuit(s) 504 a, 504 b, . . . , 504 _(N) provide thenecessary power to actuators 506 a, 506 b, . . . , 506 _(N). While eachactuator 506 is shown as being powered by a separate driver circuit 504,it is possible for multiple actuators 506 to be driven by one drivercircuit 504.

The controller 502 may be, by way of example only, a microprocessor andthe driver circuit(s) 504 may be, for instance, one or more electricalamplifiers. The controller 502 and drive circuit 504 may be integratedinto a single microprocessor or single electrical circuit. The controlmethod in this figure is for a configuration with N actuators, where Nis an arbitrary number of actuators. Some of the figures showing variouscontrol methods in the instant application illustrate only twoactuators. However, it should be understood that control methodsaccording to the present invention can be extended to include anarbitrary number of actuators, as shown in FIG. 31.

FIG. 32 shows a control method for two actuators. Here the controller502 specifies the desired vibration amplitude, A, frequency, f, andphase, p, for each actuator 506. The amplitude, frequency, and phase ofactuator 506 a (A1, f1, p1) may differ from the amplitude, frequency,and phase of actuator 506 b (A2, f2, p2). The profile/waveform of thedesired vibration force may be a sine wave, square wave, triangle wave,or other profile, such as is discussed above with regard to FIG. 1. Theactual vibration profiles/waveforms of the actuators 506 a,b may differfrom the desired vibration profiles due the dynamics of the drivecircuits 504 a,b and actuators 506 a,b.

FIG. 33 shows a control method where the frequency of vibration, f, isthe same for both actuators 506 a,b. FIG. 34 shows a control methodwhere the frequency of vibration, f, and the phase of vibration, p, arethe same for both actuators 506 a,b. In this embodiment, the actuators506 a,b are desirably driven synchronously such that the peak amplitudeof vibration will occur approximately at the same time for bothactuators 506 a,b. The amplitude of vibration may differ between theactuators 506 a,b.

FIG. 35 shows a control embodiment in accordance with the presentinvention where the vibration device controller 502 includes an internaldirection and amplitude controller 508, an internal frequency controller510, and an internal vibration controller 512. The direction andamplitude controller 508 desirably specifies the combined vibrationamplitude, A_(combined), and the direction of vibration theta. Thefrequency controller 510 desirably specifies the vibration frequency, f.The vibration controller 512 uses the inputs of theta, A_(combined), andf to output vibration commands to the individual actuators 506 a,b. Thevibration controller 512 is operable to output various waveformsincluding sine waves, square waves, triangle waves, or other profiles asdiscussed herein.

The output from the vibration device controller 502 shown in FIG. 35provides the magnitude of vibration as a function of time to each drivecircuit 504 a,b. In the case where the profile of vibration is a sinewave, the amplitude of vibration for each actuator as a function of timeis given by the equation shown below:

$\begin{matrix}{\begin{bmatrix}{A_{1}(t)} \\{A_{2}(t)}\end{bmatrix} = {D^{- 1}{{Acombined}\begin{bmatrix}{\cos({theta})} \\{\sin({theta})}\end{bmatrix}}{\sin\left( {{\omega\; t} + p} \right)}}} & (28)\end{matrix}$Here, t is time and ω is the vibration frequency in radians per second.The parameter p is the phase of vibration and may be set to zero. Thevalue of ω in terms of frequency f in vibrations per second is given byω=2πf.

When the vibration actuators have a linear relationship between thecommand magnitude and the magnitude of vibration, the output A₁(t) andA₂(t) from equation 28 can be applied directly to the vibrationactuators to generate a combined vibration direction corresponding tothe angle theta. However some vibration actuators may have a nonlinearrelationship between the command magnitude and the magnitude ofvibration. For such nonlinear actuators it is possible to generatevibration in the direction theta by using a linearization function thatadjusts the magnitude of A₁ and A₂ to compensate for the nonlinearity ofthe actuator, as shown in the following equation.

$\begin{matrix}{\begin{bmatrix}{A_{1}(t)} \\{A_{2}(t)}\end{bmatrix} = {{linearization\_ function}\left\{ {D^{- 1}{A_{combined}\begin{bmatrix}{\cos({theta})} \\{\sin({theta})}\end{bmatrix}}{\sin\left( {{\omega\; t} + p} \right)}} \right\}}} & (29)\end{matrix}$The linearization equation described above can be a lookup table or ascaling algorithm or other type of function.

The ability to control the direction of vibration over time, such asthough use of equations 28 and 29, is an important advantage of thepresent invention. The ability to control vibration direction can beused in vibratory feeders to direct parts in a desired direction. Inaddition, there are numerous advantages of using the invention forhaptic devices as described herein.

FIG. 36A illustrates a system 550 showing the input of various inputparameters of amplitude, phase and position (or time) for a pair oflinear actuators. A computer 552 receives input of the parameters, whichare preferably entered using a computer keyboard (not shown); however,the parameters also could be input using a graphical user interface,analog potentiometers, or many other means generally known to thoseskilled in the art. The appropriate output waveforms for linearactuators 554 a and 554 b are then computed using the computer 552. Eachwaveform is preferably independent. While computation may be performedusing an analog computer, a digital computer is preferred.

If a digital computer is used, the digital output for each actuator 554a,b is then preferably fed into respective digital-to-analog (“DAC”)converters 556 a and 556 b, which convert the output to the appropriateanalog waveform. The analog waveforms are then fed into the appropriatedriver circuits 558 a and 558 b. Those skilled in the art could useother means to modulate the linear vibrations of each actuator 554 a and554 b, for example via pulse width modulated (“PWM”). Varying theparameters produces an extremely broad range and rich set of hapticsensations for the end user.

In addition to creating varying force effects, one could control thedirection of vibration—that is to say the direction of vibration couldremain stationary. The resultant force effects can be of lower frequencythan the frequency of vibration.

There are also useful applications for generating precise patterns ofvibrations from simple parameters. Such patterns include circles,ellipses and straight lines. Furthermore, the amplitude and duration ofthe patterns may be precisely controlled over time. Moreover, a sequenceof patterns may be generated as desired.

FIG. 36B illustrates the system 550 where the input of various inputparameters includes input of pattern number, amplitude, duration andstart-time for the vibration device using compound vibrations. Theparameters are preferably entered using a computer keyboard. Theappropriate output waveforms for each linear actuator are then computedat computer 552. As described above, the digital output for eachactuator 554 a and 554 b is then fed into DACs 556 a and 556 b forconversion to the appropriate analog waveforms. The waveforms are thenfed into the driver circuits 558 a and 558 b. Again, the variousparameters produce an extremely broad and rich set of haptic sensationsfor the end user.

Each of the vibration devices described herein according to the presentinvention can be used as a haptic interface. Haptic interfaces provideforce sensation to a user. Haptic interfaces include computer gamingcontrollers, robot controllers, surgical tool controllers, as well asother devices where a force sensation is provided to a user.

An embodiment 600 of the present invention with a haptic interfaceapplication is shown in FIG. 37. In this embodiment a systems controller602 provides force commands to a haptic interface 604 which generatesforces which result in force sensations to user 606. The systemscontroller 602 may be microprocessor, a central processing unit, anASIC, a DSP, a game controller, an analog controller, or other type ofcontroller or any combination thereof. The user 606 can input commandsto the haptic interface 604 that are transmitted as user commands backto the system controller 602. The user commands can be input throughpressing buttons, moving joysticks, squeezing the haptic interface atvarious level forces, moving the haptic interface, applying force andtorque onto the haptic interface and through other means.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 37, there is preferably a graphicaldisplay 608 which receives an image command from the system controller602 and displays a visual image to the user 606. The graphical display608 may be, for instance, a computer monitor, a television monitor, anLCD display, a plasma display, a combination of light sources, or othertype of means for generating a graphical image. A haptic interfaceapplication can also be implemented without a graphical display 608.

A haptic interface application can include a simulation of a virtualenvironment or representation of a real environment to the user 606. Asystems controller method of control can be based upon this real orvirtual environment. Typical simulated environments include games,driving and flight simulations, surgical simulations, and other types ofsimulations. Typical real world environments include control of robotsand remote machines, long distance interactions, and other types ofenvironments. It is often desirable that a haptic interface provideforce sensations that correlate with the real or simulated environmentin which the haptic interface is being used.

Another embodiment 620 having a haptic interface application is shown inFIG. 38. This embodiment is similar to the one of FIG. 37, and includesa systems controller 622, which provides force commands to a hapticinterface 624 that generates forces which result in force sensationsbeing received by user 626. A graphical display 628 is also provided forreceiving image commands from the system controller 622 and fordisplaying a visual image to the user 626.

In the embodiment of FIG. 38, the haptic interface 624 desirablyincludes a vibration device 630 having vibration actuators (not shown),a vibration controller 632, driver circuits 634 which drive thevibration device actuators, and an input device 636, which can detectuser input and which can include buttons, joysticks, and pressuresensors. The components of the haptic interface 624 may be of any of theconfigurations described herein. In this embodiment the graphicaldisplay 628 preferably presents a two dimensional image. The graphicaldisplay 628 shows an object of interest at a direction specified by theangle theta. It is may be desirable that the force sensation felt by theuser 626 correspond to the image on the graphical display in terms ofdirection, such as theta, and other attributes.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 38 can be utilized so that the forcesensations felt by the user 626 are generated by the vibration devicecontroller 632 specifically to correspond to the image on the graphicaldisplay 628. The vibration device controller 632 may specify one or moreof the amplitude of vibration, A_(combined), direction of force, theta,and frequency of vibration, f, as described above. The values ofA_(combined), theta, and/or f can be selected to correspond to the imageon the graphical display 628 and the environment being used by thesystem controller 622. The complete force effect (including frequency,amplitude, combined direction of force and torque, and duration of forceeffect) generated by the vibration device may correlate events within agraphical computer simulation. Several examples of such operationfollow.

A first example involves the simulation of a user firing a gun. In thissimulation, the vibration device controller 632 could specify the angletheta to represent the direction of a gun firing, the amplitude ofvibration, A_(combined), to represent the amplitude of the gun recoil,and the frequency of vibration, f, to represent the frequency of bulletsleaving the gun.

A second example involves an impact between objects. In this simulationthe vibration device controller 632 may specify the angle theta torepresent the direction of impact, and the amplitude of vibration,A_(combined), to represent the amplitude of impact.

A third example involves driving a vehicle. In this simulation thevibration device controller 632 could specify the angle theta torepresent the direction of vehicle motion, the frequency of vibration,f, to represent the frequency of vehicle vibration as it drives overbumps in the road or the speed of the vehicle, and the amplitude ofvibration, A_(combined), to represent the amplitude of bumps in theroad.

A fourth example involves a car or spacecraft spinning out of control.In this simulation the vibration device controller 632 could specify anangle theta that represents the vehicle's orientation. To represent thevehicle spinning, the angle theta can vary over time. The rate at whichthe angle theta can be different than the vibration frequency. Typicallythe frequency at which a vehicle spins would be significantly lower thantypical vibration frequencies.

An algorithm that can be used to create the vehicle spinning describedabove varies the direction of vibration continually. The direction ofvibration may be rotated at a rate of β radians per second, using theequation below:

$\begin{matrix}{\begin{bmatrix}{A_{1}(t)} \\{A_{2}(t)}\end{bmatrix} = {D^{- 1}{A_{combined}\begin{bmatrix}{\cos\left( {\beta\; t} \right)} \\{\sin\left( {\beta\; t} \right)}\end{bmatrix}}\sin\;\left( {{\omega\; t} + p} \right)}} & (30)\end{matrix}$

Equation 30 illustrates that the frequency of direction change, β, canbe modified independently from the frequency of vibration ω. A user suchas user 606 or 626 can sense both the frequency of vibration and thedirection of vibration. In this fashion, sensations at both the β and ωfrequencies can felt by the user. It is possible to set the frequency βmuch lower than the frequency ω, thereby overcoming a limitation ofknown devices. By way of example only, ω may vary between 10 Hz and 100Hz while β may be on the order of 1 Hz. In another instance, β may varyfrom between about 5% to 20% of ω. Of course, in other instances ω and βmay be similar or the same, or, alternatively, β may be larger than ω.All of these examples will depend on the specific effect that isdesired.

Low frequency operation is desirable in some situations, for instance ingames that have low frequency effects. For instance, games may generateactions or events in the sub-200 Hertz range, such as between 1 and 150Hertz. In certain cases the actions or events may be as low as 2 Hertzor lower, such as about 0.5-1 Hertz. Examples of such actions/eventsinclude gunshots, automobile related sounds such as corresponding to acar spinning out of control, and helicopter related sounds such as thewhirring of the rotor blades. A traditional eccentric mass actuator maynot be suitable to generate a haptic sensation in this frequency range;however, two or more vibration actuators operated in synchronizedvibration may generate such frequencies.

β is not limited to any particular rate or range of rates. For instance,β may be a relatively low rate to represent a slow spinning action,e.g., of a car spin out at less than 10 miles per hour, or β may be arelatively high rate to represent a fast spinning action, e.g., of a carspin out at a speed in excess of 40 miles per hour. Similarly, ω is notlimited to any particular frequency of vibration. Preferably, ω is setwithin a range of frequencies that can be felt or otherwise detected bya user.

Equation 30 may be modified by changing the vibration profile from asine wave to a square wave, triangle wave, or other profile. Inaddition, the amplitude of vibration, A_(combined), can be varied overtime. The frequencies β and ω can also be varied over time. In thisfashion a wide range of force effects can be created.

Vibration actuators can be used to provide haptic sensations eitherthrough synchronized vibration or otherwise. Actuators can be vibratedwithout synchronization when there is no need to convey directionalinformation, and then the actuators can be switched to synchronousvibration when there is a need to convey directional information thoughthe haptic interface.

Many linear motion vibration actuators take advantage of resonance toachieve relatively high level of forces with low power requirements.However, to achieve these high levels of forces a number of vibrationcycles have to occur before the peak magnitude of vibration occurs. Inaddition when the actuator is shut off, the moving mass in the actuatormay continue to oscillate for a number of cycles. Thus the dynamics ofthe actuator prevents instantaneous response of the actuator to increaseor decrease the magnitude of vibration.

When synchronous vibration is used to control the direction of combinedforce, the actuator dynamics may limit the speed at which the directionof combined force can be changed. One of the examples presented abovedescribes implementation of a haptic force sensation that corresponds tothe spinning of a car. However, the actuator dynamics may limit the rateat which such spinning effect can be generated. As will be described indetail below, it is possible to provide a method that can increase therate at which the direction of force can be changed for a system ofvibration actuators that are synchronously vibrated.

Equation 25 above defines the required amplitude of vibration ofactuators to achieve a combined force direction corresponding to anangle theta. For a given actuator in a vibration device, the requiredamplitude of vibration is defined as A_(des), which indicates thedesired amplitude of vibration of that actuator. If the actuator is atrest or at a lower level of vibration than A_(des), then it may bedesirable to initially drive the actuator at a higher level of vibrationto more quickly raise the amplitude of vibration to A_(des). Converselyif the actuator is already vibrating at an amplitude higher than A_(des)it may be desirable to initially drive the actuator at a lower level oreven brake the actuator to more quickly lower the amplitude of vibrationto A_(des). These variations in the amplitude at which the actuator isdriven are defined as corrections to the commanded vibration magnitude.

One method of determining the proper corrections to the vibrationmagnitude is to model the dynamics of the actuator. This approach allowsone to predict the dynamic states of the actuator and optimal commandsto most quickly generate the desired amplitude of vibration.

An alternate method of determining the corrections to the vibrationmagnitude does not require a dynamic model of the actuator or explicitlypredicting the dynamic states of the actuator. In this method a counteris maintained to track the recent number of vibrations of the actuatorand the corresponding commands sent to the actuator during these recentvibrations. The command to the actuator at the k^(th) vibration is givenby the following equation:A _(com) _(—) _(k) =A _(des) _(—) _(k) +A _(cor) _(—) _(k)

A_(des) _(—) _(k) represents the desired actuator amplitude for thek^(th) vibration of the actuator. A_(com) _(—) _(k) represents thecorrection to the command for the k^(th) vibration. And A_(com) _(—)_(k) represents the actual amplitude of the command sent to the actuatorfor the k^(th) vibration.

If the desired amplitude at the k^(th) vibration is greater than theamplitude during the previous vibration, then most likely the vibrationlevel needs to be increased. Accordingly, the correction to the commandat vibration k, A_(cor) _(—) _(k), can be chosen to be proportional tothe difference between the current desired amplitude, A_(des) _(—) _(k),and the previous commanded amplitude A_(com) _(—k-1) . An equation whichdescribed this approach for calculation A_(cor) _(—) _(k) is:A _(cor) _(—) _(k) =K*(A _(des) _(—) _(k) A _(com) _(—) _(k-1))  (31)

Here, K is a gain chosen based upon actuator performance. This sameequation works for reducing the magnitude of vibration quickly. WhenA_(des) _(—) _(k) is less than the value of A_(com) _(—) _(k-1), itindicates that most likely the level of vibration needs to be reducedand the correction A_(cor) _(—) _(k) is negative. If the large reductionin vibration amplitude is commanded, then the negative magnitude ofA_(cork) may be greater than A_(des) _(—) _(k) and the actual commandsent to the actuator, A_(com) _(—) _(k), will be negative resulting inbraking of the moving mass in the actuator.

Another approach to correcting the magnitude of vibration takes intoconsideration the two previous commanded amplitudes, and is given by thefollowing equation:A _(cor) _(—) _(k) =K ₁*(A _(des) _(—) _(k) A _(com) _(—) _(k-1))+K ₂*(A_(des) _(—) _(k) −A _(com) _(—) _(k-2))  (32)

Here K₁ is a gain that corresponds to the k−1 vibration command, and K₂is a gain that corresponds to the k−2 vibration command. In a similarfashion even more prior commands can be incorporated into the correctionalgorithm. The following equation shows how “m” prior commands can beincorporated into an actuator command.A _(cor) _(—) _(k) =K ₁*(A _(des) _(—) _(k) −A _(com) _(—) _(k-1))+K₂*(A _(des) _(—) _(k) −A _(com) _(—) _(k-2))+ . . . +K _(m)*(A _(des)_(—) _(k) −A _(com) _(—k-m) )  (33)

Alternative methods of control for multiple vibrating actuators mayinclude modified synchronization.

One method of modified synchronization is for one actuator to vibrate ata frequency that is an integer multiple of the vibration frequency ofanother actuator. FIG. 39 is a plot 650 presenting two vibrationprofiles, 652 and 654, showing such a control method. The vibrationfrequency of profile 654 is twice the vibration frequency of profile652. The beginning of cycles of vibration can be controlled to occur atthe same time only ever other cycle for profile 2. Thus thesuperposition of peak amplitudes only occurs ever other cycle forprofile 654. This modified synchronization method can be applied forarbitrary integer multiples of vibration frequency, arbitrary vibrationprofiles, and an arbitrary number of actuators.

One advantage of such a modified synchronization method is that multiplevibration frequencies can occur at the same time while still providingfor some superposition or peak amplitudes. The superposition of peakamplitudes allows for control of direction of vibration, in a similarfashion to how the direction for vibration is controlled forsynchronized vibration. With this modified method of synchronizedvibration, it is possible to specify the direction of combined forceonly during a portion of the vibration cycle. Nevertheless, a directioncomponent to the vibration can be controlled in the duration close tothe time where the superposition of peaks occurs. Close to the time atwhich there is superposition of peaks in the vibrations, the combinedforce vector, F_(combined), can be approximated by:F _(combined) −a ₁ A ₁ +a ₂ A ₂  (34)

Here, a₁ and a₂ are the unit vectors aligned with the directions ofactuator 1 and actuator 2, respectively. A₁ and A₂ are the amplitudes offorce of actuator 1 and actuator 2, respectively, near the duration ofthe superposition of peaks. By modifying the amplitudes A₁ and A₂ it ispossible to modify the amplitude and direction of the combined forcevector, F_(combined). A similar approach can be used when there are morethan two vibration actuators.

If there are two or more vibrating actuators where repeatedly the peakamplitude of force of these vibrating actuators occurs at approximatelythe same time, then the combined direction of force of these actuatorscan be controlled near the time when these repeated peak amplitudesoccur. In this case, the combined direction of force can be controlledby modifying the amplitude of vibration of the actuators.

An alternative modified synchronization is to drive two vibrationactuators at the same frequency but one vibration actuator at a phasewhere its peak magnitude of force occurs when a second vibrationactuator is at zero force, which is at 90 degrees out of phase for asinusoidal vibration. In such a modified synchronization the combinedforce direction rotates in a circle or ellipsoid during each vibrationperiod.

Additional methods for modified synchronization of vibration may includethe superposition of profiles as described in the “Jules Lissajous andHis Figures” (“Lissajous”), appearing in chapter 12 of “TrigonometricDelights” by Eli Maor, published in 1998 by Princeton University Press.The entire disclosure of Lissajous is hereby incorporated by reference.Lissajous describes how profiles can be combined through variouscombinations of frequencies, phases, amplitudes, and profiles togenerate a wide range of output figures. These are also known asBowditch curves. Lissajous also describes how geometric shapes can becreated from multiple vibration sources. These combinations ofvibrations can be applied to haptic devices and vibration devices inaccordance with aspects of the present invention. Thus, the concepts ofsuperposition described in Lissajous can be applied by vibrationactuators to yield a wide range of force sensations.

Electric actuators often require a driver circuit separate from acontroller. The driver circuit provides sufficient current and voltageto drive the Actuators with the necessary electrical power. A wide rangeof driver circuits have been developed for electrical actuators andspecifically for vibration actuators, and are known to those skilled inthe field. Such driver circuits include linear drivers, PWM drivers,unipolar drivers, and bipolar drivers. A circuit block diagram for avibration actuator 700 according to the present invention includes avibration controller 702, a driver circuit 704, and an actuator 706, asshown in FIG. 40.

The vibration controller 702 shown in FIG. 40 can be located on thevibration device itself or could be located remotely, where thevibration signals are transmitted to the driver circuit 704 throughwired or wireless communication.

It is often desirable to control a vibration device or actuators from adigital controller such as a microprocessor or other digital circuit.Digital control circuits often have low level power output, andtherefore require a higher power driver circuit to drive an actuator. Inaddition, low cost digital controllers often have digital outputs, butdo not have analog outputs. To simplify the vibration controllercircuitry and lower cost, the vibration signal can be a binary logicdirectional signal which signals the moving mass to move either forwardor backwards. In this configuration, the vibration signal can be in theform of a square wave to generate the desired vibration effect. Evenwith such a square wave control signal, the actual motion and vibrationforce of the vibration actuator will most likely not follow a squarewave exactly due to the dynamics of the actuator.

To further simplify the vibration controller circuitry and lower cost,the amplitude of the vibration signal can be modulated with a PWMsignal, where the duty cycle of the signal is proportional to theamplitude of vibration. An embodiment 710 with such a digital vibrationcontroller 712 for one actuator 716 is shown in FIG. 41. In thisembodiment, the output of the digital vibration controller 712 includesan amplitude signal in PWM form and a direction signal, for instance inthe form of a logic bit, both of which preferably are sent to a drivercircuit 714. The driver circuit 714, in turn, sends electrical power tothe actuator 716.

Digital control circuitry can be used to control a complete vibrationdevice in synchronized vibration. In synchronized vibration thefrequency and phase of two or more actuators are the same. Accordingly,a single square wave can be used to control the direction of thevibration actuators that are in synchronized vibration. The amplitude ofvibration can be controlled independently for each actuator, withseparate PWM signals.

FIG. 42 shows an embodiment 720 where a vibration device controller 722generates one directional signal (“dir”), which may be in the form of asquare wave. The dir signal is preferably provided to a pair of drivecircuits 724 a and 724 b. The vibration device controller 722 desirablygenerates separate amplitude signals, A₁ and A₂, in PWM form to thedrive circuits 724 a,b for a pair of actuators 726 a and 726 b. Thevibration device controller 722 preferably includes a direction andamplitude controller 728, a frequency controller 730 and a vibrationcontroller 732 as in the embodiment described above with regard to FIG.35. The direction and amplitude controller 728, the frequency controller730 and the vibration controller 732 may be configured in hardware,software, firmware or a combination thereof, and may be implementedeither as separate components or processes, or may be implemented as asingle component or process.

The embodiment 720 of FIG. 42 may be used to control in synchronousvibration the vibration devices with two actuators, for instance asdescribed above with regard to FIGS. 10-20. Embodiment 720 can also beused to vibrate two or more actuators completely out of phase, whichoccurs during synchronized vibration when equation 25 provides resultswith the sign of A₁ being different than the sign of A₂. To vibrate twoactuators completely out of phase, the binary direction signal dir canbe inverted for one of the actuators. The inversion of the directionalsignal dir can occur at a driver circuit 724 a or 724 b, or thevibration controller 732 can output two directional signals, with onebeing the inverse of the other. The case where two actuators are beingdriven completely out of phase is shown in FIG. 13.

Electric actuators in accordance with the present invention can bedriven with unipolar or bipolar drivers. A unipolar driver will generatecurrent in an actuator in a single direction. A unipolar driver is wellsuited for actuators where the moving mass is ferromagnetic and anelectromagnetic coil only generates attractive magnetic forces, such asthe actuator 150 shown in FIG. 9. One example of a unipolar drivercircuit is a Darlington array, such as the ULN2803A DARLINGTONTRANSISTOR ARRAY manufactured by Texas Instruments.

A bipolar driver can generate current in two directions. Bipolar driversare well suited for actuators where the moving mass is magnetic andwhere reversing the direction of current in an electromagnetic coil canreverse the direction of force on the moving mass. Examples of suchactuators are presented in FIGS. 5A-B through 8A-B. One example for abipolar driver circuit is an E bridge, such as the L298 manufactured byST Microelectronics. Alternative H bridges are the 3958 and 3959 driversmanufactured by Allegro Microsystems.

In vibrating circuits it can be advantageous to increase power output ofthe driver circuits through use of a charge pump capacitor as used in3958 and 3959 drivers manufactured by Allegro Microsystems. It can alsobe advantageous to incorporate a capacitor in series with a linearmotion vibrating actuator to benefit from a resonance effect andtemporary storage of energy in the capacitor, as described in theaforementioned U.S. patent application entitled “Vibration Device.”

As detailed herein, vibration actuators can be used in a variety ofmethods to create haptic effects. Vibration actuators can be operatedcontinuously throughout the duration of a specified haptic effect, orcan be pulsed on and off during the haptic effect. By pulsing vibrationactuators on and off the user feels only a small number of vibrations,then feels a pause, and then the vibration resumes. In this fashion itis possible to generate secondary sensations associated with thefrequency of pulsing the actuators on and off. Examples of how suchpulse effects can be used are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,275,213 and6,424,333.

Any of the actuators described herein may be used in accordance with thepresent invention to produce a wide variety of haptic effects. Whilesome actuators such as linear actuators and rocking mass actuators maybe particularly suited for low frequency operation, all actuators hereinmay provide synchronized feedback. Such feedback may be employed ingames, virtual reality equipment, real-world equipment such as surgicaltools and construction equipment, as well as portable electronic devicessuch as cellular phones and pagers. By way of example only, cellularphones and pagers may implement different vibration effects to identifydifferent callers or different actions. Synchronized vibration mayprovide directional feedback, for instance, with the impact or recoil ofa gun in a game, or to distinguish between frontal and side impacts indriving games. Synchronized vibration may also provide a continualrotation of a vibration force vector in a game to simulate a carspinning out of control. Synchronized vibration may also be used inendless other applications and situations to provide a rich hapticexperience to a user.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference toparticular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodimentsare merely illustrative of the principles and applications of thepresent invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerousmodifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that otherarrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the appended claims. By way ofexample only, it is possible to vary aspects of the embodiments hereinto some degree while achieving synchronous vibration and other benefitsof the invention. For instance, the frequency of vibration, amplitude ofvibration, profile or waveform of vibration, phase of vibration, timingof vibration, alignment of actuators, rigidity of the vibration device,rigidity of the attachment between the actuators and the vibrationdevice, and design and control parameters may all be adjusted, eitherindependently or in any combination thereof.

1. An apparatus usable in a game controller, the apparatus comprising: afirst linear resonant actuator coupled to a housing, the first linearresonant actuator having a first vibration axis and being configured toproduce a first vibration force; a second linear resonant actuatorcoupled to the housing, the second linear resonant actuator having asecond vibration axis and being configured to produce a second vibrationforce; and means for synchronously vibrating the first and second linearresonant actuators to produce at least one of a combined vibration forceon the housing the first and second vibration forces or a combinedvibration torque on the housing such that a haptic sensation is providedto a user; wherein the means for synchronously vibrating the first andsecond linear resonant actuators is configured to correct a vibrationmagnitude for each actuator according to the following equation:A _(com) =A _(des) +A _(cor) where A_(des) represents a desired actuatoramplitude for a given vibration of that actuator, A_(cor) represents acorrection for the given vibration, and A_(com) represents an actualcommand amplitude sent to that actuator for the given vibration tocorrect the vibration magnitude.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe first and second vibration axes are not parallel to each other. 3.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second vibration axesare not orthogonal to each other.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe first and second vibration axes are either substantially parallel toeach other or are substantially orthogonal to each other.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and secondlinear resonant actuators is operable to vibrate at a frequency lessthan 50 Hertz.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a resonant frequencyof at least one of the first and second linear resonant actuators iswithin a predefined range of frequencies, and the at least one of thefirst and second linear resonant actuators is configured to operate overthe predefined range of frequencies including the resonant frequency. 7.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second linear resonantactuators are operable to synchronously vibrate to generate at least oneLissajous vibration profile.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thesecond linear resonant actuator is configured to vibrate at a frequencythat is an integer multiple of a vibration frequency of the first linearresonant actuators, the value of the integer being greater than one. 9.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for synchronously vibratingthe first and second linear resonant actuators is operable tosynchronously vibrate the first and second linear resonant actuators fora first duration of time and to vibrate the first and second linearresonant actuators asynchronously for a second duration of time.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for synchronously vibrating thefirst and second linear resonant actuators is operable to pulse thefirst and second linear resonant actuators on and off to provide thehaptic sensation, thereby generating one or more secondary sensationsassociated with a frequency of the pulsing.
 11. The apparatus of claim1, further comprising: a third linear resonant actuator coupled to thehousing, the third linear resonant actuator being individually operableto produce a third vibration force on the housing; wherein the means tosynchronously vibrate is further operable to synchronously vibrate thethird linear resonant actuator with the first and second linear resonantactuators to produce a combined vibration spanning three spatialdimensions.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing isconfigured as part of the game controller for attachment directly onto auser's body to provide the haptic sensation to the user.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the haptic sensation correlates with anaction in a simulated environment.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe haptic sensation provides directional feedback to the user.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is operable to produce arotating vibration force vector.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe haptic sensation comprises a vibration pattern.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein the vibration pattern is one pattern within a sequenceof patterns.
 18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the vibrationpattern is one pattern is selected from the set consisting of a circularvibration pattern, an elliptical vibration pattern, a vibration patternof a line, a vibration pattern of a parabola, and a vibration pattern ofa hyperbola.
 19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and secondlinear resonant actuators are configured to vary an amplitude of thevibration pattern over time.
 20. An apparatus usable in a gamecontroller, the apparatus comprising: a first pivoting resonant actuatorcoupled to a housing, the first pivoting resonant actuator having afirst rotation axis and being configured to produce at least one of afirst vibration force and a first vibration torque; a second pivotingresonant actuator coupled to the housing, the second pivoting resonantactuator having a second rotation axis and being configured to produceat least one of a second vibration force and a second vibration torque;and means for synchronously vibrating the first and second pivotingresonant actuators to produce at least one of a combined vibration forceon the housing the first and second vibration forces or a combinedvibration torque on the housing the first and second vibration torquessuch that a haptic sensation is provided to the user; wherein the meansfor synchronously vibrating the first and second pivoting resonantactuators is configured to correct a vibration magnitude for eachactuator according to the following equation:A _(com) =A _(des) +A _(cor) where A_(des) represents a desired actuatoramplitude for a given vibration of that actuator, A_(cor) represents acorrection for the given vibration, and A_(com) represents an actualcommand amplitude sent to that actuator for the given vibration tocorrect the vibration magnitude.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20, whereinthe first and second rotation axes are not parallel to each other. 22.The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first and second rotation axesare substantially parallel to each other.
 23. The apparatus of claim 20,wherein at least one of the first and second pivoting resonant actuatorsis operable to vibrate at a frequency less than 50 Hertz.
 24. Theapparatus of claim 20, wherein a resonant frequency of at least one ofthe first and second pivoting resonant actuators is within a predefinedrange of frequencies, and the at least one of the first and secondpivoting resonant actuators is configured to operate over the predefinedrange of frequencies including the resonant frequency.
 25. An apparatususable in a game controller, the apparatus comprising: at least oneinput device configured to receive input from a user; a firstpiezoelectric actuator coupled to a housing; a second piezoelectricactuator coupled to the housing; wherein the first and secondpiezoelectric actuators are individually operable to each produce atleast one of a vibration force or a vibration torque onto the housing;and means for synchronously vibrating the first and second piezoelectricactuators to produce at least one of a combined vibration force or acombined vibration torque on the housing such that a haptic sensation isprovided to the user; wherein the means for synchronously vibrating thefirst and second piezoelectric actuators is configured to correct avibration magnitude for each actuator according to the followingequation:A _(com) =A _(des) +A _(cor) where A_(des) represents a desired actuatoramplitude for a given vibration of that actuator, A_(cor) represents acorrection for the given vibration, and A_(com) represents an actualcommand amplitude sent to that actuator for the given vibration tocorrect the vibration magnitude.
 26. An apparatus usable in a gamecontroller, the apparatus comprising: a first set of at least two rotaryactuators with eccentric rotating masses coupled to a housing of theapparatus and aligned relative to each other, the first set of rotaryactuators being configured to counter-rotate relative to each other andto produce a first linear vibration force on the housing; a second setof at least one actuator being configured to produce a second linearvibration force on the housing; and means for synchronously vibratingthe first and second sets of actuators to produce at least one of acombined vibration force or a combined vibration torque on the housingsuch that a haptic sensation is provided to a user; wherein the meansfor synchronously vibrating the first and second sets of actuators isconfigured to correct a vibration magnitude for each set of actuatorsaccording to the following equation:A _(com) =A _(des) +A _(cor) where A_(des) represents a desired actuatoramplitude for a given vibration of that set of actuators, A_(cor)represents a correction for the given vibration, and A_(com) representsan actual command amplitude sent to that set of actuators for the givenvibration to correct the vibration magnitude.
 27. An apparatus usable ina game controller, the apparatus comprising: a first set of at least twolinear resonant actuators each coupled to a housing of the apparatus,the first set of linear resonant actuators being aligned relative toeach other and being configured to produce a first vibration torque onthe housing; a second set of at least one actuator being configured toproduce at least one of a vibration force or a second vibration torqueon the housing; and means for synchronously vibrating the actuators ofthe first and second sets so that the first vibration torque and atleast one of the vibration force and the second vibration torque producea combined vibration force or a combined vibration torque on the housingsuch that a haptic sensation is provided to the user; wherein the meansfor synchronously vibrating the first and second sets of actuators isconfigured to correct a vibration magnitude for each actuator accordingto the following equation:A _(com) =A _(des) +A _(cor) where A_(des) represents a desired actuatoramplitude for a given vibration of that actuator, A_(cor) represents acorrection for the given vibration, and A_(com) represents an actualcommand amplitude sent to that actuator for the given vibration tocorrect the vibration magnitude.